Aswang

This heart-breaking documentary follows separate characters all effected by the murders of hundreds of thousands of people by the police for the state. In a community where poverty is rife drugs are blamed, and anyone with a connection to them can be killed, but even those who are innocent are often gunned down by the corrupt and power-hungry police. Aswangdoesn’t hide the feeling of death that sits so heavy in the Philippines but instead incorporates it into the tone of the film. Unafraid to show the brutal images of people crammed into cabinets used as prison cells, children sleeping in piles of rubbish, families washing the blood of their loved ones off the street, and the corpses who are victims of this, Arumpac delivers a clear and painful message of what happens when you allow the state too much control.

The anger of the families is one of the most painful parts because they know that if they tried to stand up, they too would be taken away and found again in a morgue. This sentiment is so deep it even effects the children, they play games where the police kill people until a pile of bodies is formed. This message needed delivering, especially in current times when battles against the police and state are rife. Sadly, for over 20,000 people, this message was too late, and the world, as usual, is only angry at the problems in the west. At least now, I, and many more, will watch this and know the injustice and understand that it comes from a problem every country faces and needs to fix – the rich killing the poor.

Written by Saskia Welch