On the eve of her school’s annual Talent Show in a small rural village in the mountains of Iloilo, twelve-year-old Thirdy is worried she will not be able to perform because she could not afford to rent a traditional costume and pay the required contribution. Her ailing but affable grandfather, Cesario, acts as her sole guardian. He works as a bamboo farmer, but they could barely make ends meet. In the midst of all these, Thirdy starts having visions of a mysterious man. She believes the apparition is that of her long dead father while everyone else dismisses her visions as nothing more than fantasies or illusions. On the day of the Talent Show, everything unravels as village problems and family secrets finally collide.

Bawod

The audition process for an exploitative game show becomes the latest test of a long-suffering mother’s fortitude and tenacity.