A veteran police officer in the Philippines lately disillusioned by his job decides to reopen an old cold case in Essential Truths of the Lake, the latest from filmmaker Lav Diaz.
Lieutenant Hermes Papauran (John Lloyd Cruz) is a veteran police officer and a renowned investigator from Manila. Lately, however, he has become increasingly frustrated and disenchanted by President Duterte’s violent war against drugs. As a police officer, Hermes is charged with upholding the very policies which he so strongly opposes, causing him a great amount of pain and moral conflict.
Hermes openly voices his concerns with his former police college classmate, now Colonel (Agot Isidro). Although she is sympathetic, she warns Hermes to be careful not to speak to others due to the danger in which it would place Hermes. He is also haunted by the kills he has made. Perhaps in need of a distraction or because he feels stuck, Hermes is drawn back to an old cold case of his and requests to reopen it; the Colonel agrees.
Fifteen years prior, a young woman named Esmeralda Stuart (Shaina Magdayao) went missing near Taal Lake, and Hermes was unable to solve it. Now, he returns to the scene to see if he can discover any new clues.
His investigation leads him to reconnect with Jane Liway (Hazel Orencio), a filmmaker who has been making a documentary about her friend Esmeralda for all these years, still unable to finish it. Hermes looks through some of the footage, and through this perspective we are introduced to Esmeralda.
We learn that she was part of a group of artist activists trying to save the endangered Philippines Eagle. They often put on performance art pieces as part of their call to action, and Esmeralda embodied the Philippine Eagle in costume and spirit. Surrounded by friends and a boyfriend, Esmeralda was described by others as “a child genius” with a brilliant mind and always living on the edge of madness. None of the old friends or boyfriend who Hermes speaks with purport to have any idea how or why Esmeralda suddenly disappeared, although rumours abound.
When Hermes becomes too affected by the investigation and starts behaving oddly, the Colonel swoops in to call it quits. Hermes is reluctant, but his investigation is cut short anyway by the eruption of nearby Taal Volcano. The destruction of the land and the widespread forced evacuations leave the place completely changed and nearly abandoned.
Some years later, Hermes returns to the area once more. His obsession with the cold case seems to be all that’s left of him, and he recruits others to help him while slowly becoming part of the community.
Essential Truths of the Lake is written, directed and edited by Lavrente Indico Diaz, aka Lav Diaz. An award-winning and experienced filmmaker, Diaz is particularly noted for the length of his films, giving more focus to space and nature than time. Essential Truths is no exception.
With a 215-minute runtime, Essential Truths is quite long — and the audience feels it. The black-and-white film’s story often feels disjointed and fragmented as it employs sudden shifts through time, space, character perspective, and narrative focus. Even with Hermes at the centre, we sometimes lose the threads of his character and the story, which makes it difficult for the audience to sustain an invested interest over such a long runtime.
This also means the film loses some of its emotional stakes, and we find ourselves disconnected from the character’s internal struggles and the sociopolitical themes of the film.
Nevertheless, the film has a soulful nature as it explores the themes of redemption, self-discovery, and the search for meaning in life through the literal and metaphorical journey of the protagonist’s investigation.
Essential Truths of the Lake has its world premiere at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, where it was selected as part of the Concorso Internazionale category and will compete for the prestigious Pardo d’Oro.
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