A Tale of Golf, Heat, and Capitalism

Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana feels like a unique and captivating newcomer at the Park City festival. It stands out with its precise, stylized approach, offering a refreshing contrast to more conventional, heartfelt films. It’s a movie that demands your full attention and willingness to observe—not because it’s slow or confusing, but because it’s constructed entirely from carefully considered details. (Influential director Jia Zhangke produced the film and mentored Manuel, who also worked on Jia’s recent acclaimed film, Caught by the Tides.) In Filipiñana, even small things—like the way a golf club is held, a piece of fruit lying on the ground, or a simple look—can be surprisingly suspenseful, moving, or breathtaking.







