Amigo, acclaimed veteran director John Sayles' drama set against The Philippine-American War, opens in limited release this Friday, August 19 from Variance Films. Filmed and edited entirely in the Philippines, Amigo tells the story of a fictional village caught between the arrival of American soldiers and the Philippine rebels, fresh from victory over Spanish colonial rule. Watch the trailer:
Here's the full synopsis:
AMIGO, the 17th feature film from Academy Award-nominated writer-director John Sayles, stars legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre as Rafael, a village mayor caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War.Seriously, of all the war dramas out there, when's the last time you saw a movie about the Philippine-American War? Unless you've seen the 1939 film The Real Glory starring Gary Cooper and David Niven. Seen it? Me neither. I've been a fan of John Sayles' work for years, and I'm interested in seeing his latest. For further information about the film, including the release schedule, go to the Amigo website here.
When U.S. troops occupy his village, Rafael comes under pressure from a tough-as-nails officer (Chris Cooper) to help the Americans in their hunt for Filipino guerilla fighters. But Rafael’s brother (Ronnie Lazaro) is the head of the local guerillas, and considers anyone who cooperates with the Americans to be a traitor. Rafael quickly finds himself forced to make the impossible, potentially deadly decisions faced by ordinary civilians in an occupied country.
A powerful drama of friendship, betrayal, romance and heartbreaking violence, AMIGO is a page torn from the untold history of the Philippines, and a mirror of today’s unresolvable conflicts.