Sinag Maynila 2026: Review of PINIKAS: Halved Hopes

March 24, 2026

Mayanmar Piit (Angela Villarin) and her two younger siblings Rona (Ella Mae Cuaton) and Luis (Arvin Cabajes) lived in the seaside village of Pintuyan, Southern Leyte. Their drunkard father Mario (Michael Bacalso) did nothing all day but tend to his precious rooster Pacman, so Maya had to be the one who earned a living. One day, she met a newcomer long-haired fisherman Nilo (Jade Makawili), and became his business partner, selling the squid he caught. 

The ultimate dream of the young ladies on their island was to be able to meet a foreigner who can rescue them from miserable poverty. A "celebrity" of their village was Michelle (Jolaica Amiana), a girl who left their island years ago to marry a German guy. So when Nilo began to court Maya after he broke up with his girlfriend, Maya was not sure if she should accept Nilo as a future husband, especially after she met Canadian guy Luke (Kevin Reams) online.   

The title "Pinikas" referred to the "dried butterflied squid" which was the way Maya prepared the squid, a metaphor for a whole being halved.  This term is in the language of Southern Leyte which is Cebuano, the main language of the whole film. This film premiered at the Oroquieta Film Fest in Misamis Occidental, and was the closing film of the 15th Binisaya International Film Fest in Cebu, held last year August 23 and 24, 2025.

The story was set in 2006, so the concept of the internet was still new in remote islands like that where Maya lived. The island ladies, and even Maya's gay make-up artist friend Briana (Randolph Valmoria), were all frequenting the new internet cafe (smartly called Hope) in order to meet and hook a potential foreigner husband. The script can be quite frank when it came to sexual matters because of this prevailing activity. 

This may be Angela Villarin's first leading role in a feature film, but she definitely carried the film squarely on her slim shoulders. Even if she lived in a remote village, Villarin's Maya is a symbol of a modern young woman. She is smart, resilient, resourceful, unafraid to speak her mind to the men around her, even her father. That scene where she confronts her father after she was able to bail him out is just one of her best scenes in the whole film. 

Jade Makawili only has "Pinikas" in his IMDB resume, but with the natural, confident way he portrayed Nilo, you'd never think this was his first ever film. Because of their easygoing chemistry together, every scene with Nilo and Maya was a joy to watch -- from the awkward start of their courtship to their philosophical conversations reflecting their opposing points of view. Also, "Plano," that song playing over the closing credits, was written and sung by him.

Despite being a drunk and a gambler, Michael Bacalso played the father to be a patient guy. He never seemed to get angry even when Maya spoke very frankly about her frustrations with him. He was very much a comic relief in several scenes, especially those when Luke arrived in the Piit's humble abode. His efforts to speak to Luke with his broken-style English was hilarious, becoming uncomfortably raunchy when their conversation was about Pacman.

This film is written and directed by Cris Fuego, himself a native of Pintuyan, who has now migrated to Canada. DP Neil Angelo Briones captured the scenic beauty of the island, including those haunting scenes of the gigantic whale shark with the smaller fish swimming around it. Music is very much an integral part of this film -- with three original songs by Winset Jacot and a musical score composed by Marie-Luise Calveros. 9/10