October 4, 2025
When Eleanor Robles (Frances Makil-Ignacio) lost her bid to be president of the Philippines in the 2022 elections, her campaign manager was Kiko Consuelo (Jojit Lorenzo) and her speech writer was David Cruz (Zanjoe Marudo) were disillusioned. Kiko shared his frustrations with his wife Bea (Dolly De Leon), who held the family of new president-elect responsible for the disappearance of her father during the past oppressive regime of his father.
Greek mythology professor David resumed writing a book using the Hydra as a metaphor for the myriad of problems that beset Philippine politics. Meanwhile, he met election lawyer Mela (Mylene Dizon) on a dating app. The two of them hit if off very well on the first date, so much that it eventually led to their engagement. On the day that his book was formally launched, David learned a fact about Mela's family that threatened their upcoming wedding.
This new feature film is like a spiritual sequel to writer-director Dustin Celestino's acclaimed Cinemalaya opus "Ang Duyan ng Magiting" (Cinemalaya, 2023). When compared to "Duyan," the technical aspects of "Hydra" felt more sophisticated even as the several of same crew worked behind the scenes. The cinematography by Kara Moreno looked more stylish here, while the musical score by Paulo Protacio was more prominent and pulsating.
Like "Duyan," the true star is Celestino's screenplay. The story was also divided into chapters, this one had eight, each named for a memorable line within that chapter. Each chapter contained astutely-written dialog about political disinformation and injustice that challenge our own convictions. Aside from the titular Hydra, four other characters of Greek myth -- Sisyphus, Cassandra, Pandora and Tantalus -- were utilized as universal metaphors.
Again, like "Duyan," the ensemble of actors all understood their assignments. Two tense excellently-acted scenes make it to my list of best scenes of 2025. One was that post-book launch meal where the exchange of pleasantries between Bea and Mela turned from cordial to bitter. The other one was in the penultimate chapter where Bea faced the man she hated all her life. In both scenes, Dolly de Leon poured out heart and soul in gut-wrenching manner.
Even if it says that any similarities to real-life events were purely coincidental, it was quite obvious what this story was all about. In fact, everyone who watches this film will have gone through the same 2022 presidential campaign and elections. The memories and the feelings are still very fresh, making this indeed a one-of-a-kind movie experience. The enduring and eternal light of the final message touches everyone who shared that passion. 9/10
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