Best movies like Esoterica: Manila
A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Esoterica: Manila Starring Ronnie Liang, Boots Anson-Roa, Vince Tañada, Carlos Celdran, and more. If you liked Esoterica: Manila then you may also like: Zoom, Zoom, Superman!, Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer, Fly, Darna, Fly!, Bagwis and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.
Drawing from his personal adventures, film director, Elwood Perez veers away from standard-issue plot conventions in this paradoxically moral tale of a young man en route to becoming a creative artist.
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Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
The film bears witness to German artist Anselm Kiefer's alchemical creative processes and renders in film, as a cinematic journey, the personal universe he has built at his hill-studio estate in the South of France.
Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer
The story of fashion designer Jeremy Scott's ascent from a small town in Missouri to his current position as the Creative Director of Moschino.
Daughters of Eve
In the remote countryside of Ilongo, various women are sexually abused by local men. Two sisters meet Simon, the most attractive man in the village, and fight over him - one constantly haunted by Catholic dogma because of the abuse she suffered previously.
Pearl in Paradise
Magazine photographer Alex Anderson and author Colin Page head to Fiji in search of the illusive blue pearl that Colin wrote about in his bestselling novel Pearl in Paradise. Alex stands to land the creative director position if she can photograph the pearl for the magazine’s 30th anniversary issue, and Colin hopes that by writing a guest article about the long-lost gem he can boost sales of his failing other books and not lose his publisher. As the two head off to their search, neither is aware yet that finding love could be the rarest adventure of all.
Ibulong Mo Sa Diyos
When her boyfriend leaves for Japan on a singing contract, a dancer is so distraught she does not see the car that hits her. The driver pretends to be a helpful passer-by; they fall in love and gets married. Only bringing her to a more complicated life.
Humble Beauty: Skid Row Artists
A story about talented homeless and formerly homeless fine arts painters in the worst section of Los Angeles known as Skid Row. People will create art no matter how humble the circumstances.
With/In Volume 1
Giving creatives the chance to step outside the box while being confined to their own homes, the filmmakers behind With/In range from seasoned directors to first-timers, all provided with the same iPhone and basic gear to bring their visions to life.
At the Top
A stripper and taxi driver are fished out of poverty and anonymity by a commercial film director. The obsession with success forces them to affect images as movie stars, which suppress and eventually destroy them as persons and lovers.
Mark Knopfler: A Life in Songs
Mark Knopfler is one of the most successful musicians in the world. During the past 30 years he has written and recorded over 300 songs including some of the most famous in popular music. In this in-depth documentary he talks about how these songs have defined him and how they have been influenced by his own life and roots. It features previously unseen photographs from his personal collection and comprehensive footage spanning his career from a struggling musician playing in pubs in Leeds in the 1970s, to the record-breaking success with Dire Straits and his world tour as a solo artist. Looking back over the 25 years since he wrote the iconic Brothers In Arms album, the film takes an affectionate look at how this formidable, creative man has operated as a musician for three decades and how he continues to do so as a solo artist who is as much in demand as ever.
Lupe: A Seaman's Wife
Lupe (Andrea del Rosario) and Manolo (Leandro Munoz) are a young couple whose marriage life is about to undergo a drastic change when Manolo leaves for another country.
Ssshhh... She Walks by Night
On his father's order Jason is taken from his lover. When he arrives at his father's mansion he meets Belinda and is instantly attracted to her. Because of his long estrangement to his father Jason is just discovering his father to be a violent person and decides to take Belinda and leave the mansion. But their governess begs them to stay. Complicated events follow all of which are caused by Belinda. Thrilling psychological drama about a runaway coed who enters the lives of father and son further complicate their relationship and later ruin their lives.
A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino
Lamberto Avellana’s English-language film based on Nick Joaquin’s play about a painter, a painting, two sisters, and a crook.
The Color of Ash
A pessimistic uninspired middle-aged artist finds spark with a millennial photographer who leads her on a path of creative and sexual reawakening.
Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit
A poor farmer's daughter dreams to go to college and become a doctor; to make this possible, her father mortgages his farm to a rich land owner. The girl finishes college and becomes and takes back her father's land.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Official entry to the first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1982 directed by Elwood Perez and starred Snooky Serna, Maricel Soriano, Gabby Concepcion, William Martinez, Albert Martinez, Robert Arevalo, Liza Lorena, Marissa Delgado, Raul Aragon, Alicia Alonzo, Mila Ocampo, Johnny Wilson, Joel Alano, Aiko Melendez, and Kristine Garcia.
Isang Gabi... Tatlong Babae!
A three-part, social drama on parent-child relationships, it stars the Philippine movies’ most beautiful face, Amalia Fuentes as the Phaedra-like, upper-crust stepmother who falls in love with her stepson, the adorable Boots Anson Roa as the slum mother who has to choose between her bastard son and her good-for-nothing love, the alluring Pilar Pilapil as the social climbing fashion model who belittles her sacrificing adoptive parent.
Sugar Daddy
A story about the hardship of a naive young village girl falling in love with the son of a landlord who promises to marry her.
Magkaribal
A story of a woman whose closest friend became her worst rival. They were once very close to each other, almost like sisters. She even confides all her troubles and heartaches to this friend. Later, she sensed some changes in her friend's attitude towards her which became obvious when this friend of hers tried to outshine her in everything.
Iwasan... Kabaret
A 1978 Filipino erotic drama starring Charito Solis, Elisabeth Oropesa, Beth Bautista, and Alma Moreno.
Summer Love
50's melodies provide the soundtrack to this classic that had fans swooning and rooting for their respective idols, eventually rolling down the aisles towards the riotous ending.
Nakawin Natin Ang Bawat Sandali
Two desperate lovers snatching every bit of forbidden time.
Eyes to Heaven
Disturbing and expressionistic images tell the tale of one man's terrifing struggle against the demons that stimulate his creative impulses.
Zoom, Zoom, Superman!
A Filipino parody film of DC's Superman in three segments directed by different directors.