Check out this new drama which has hit VOD and virtual cinemas today. Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s harrowing domestic abuse drama has received excellent word of mouth prior to its release, and now audiences are able to check it out for themselves.
Joy and her six-year-old daughter Angel live in Manila, with her husband, Dante, a small-time criminal. As so often in the past, Dante comes home drunk at night and brutally beats Joy. This time, he also hurts Angel. Joy grabs her daughter and flees to the local police station, to finally get him sent to jail. But Joy is to discover that the search for justice comes at a price. Her case, obstructed by corruption, bureaucracy and seemingly indifferent officials. Lacking witnesses to support her case, and her husband released back onto the street, Joy starts to feel that she and her daughter are increasingly under threat.
Verdict was the official Philippine entry to the International Film Category for the Oscars in 2020 and the deserved winner of the prestigious Horizons Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. It is in good company – previous winners include 2015’s Free In Deed, and Court (2014), about the Indian legal system.
You can watch the latest trailer below. The film is available now on all the usual outlets.
