Batang West Side

A police detective haunted by dreams investigates a killing on the mean streets of Jersey City following the discovery of a body on West Side Avenue.

When a Filipino teenager is found dead on the frosty West Side Avenue in Jersey City, Detective Johnny Mijares is immediately drawn to the case. He’s a Filipino expat, and a recent influx of crimes in the Filipino community has piqued his interest. As he gradually pieces together the teenager’s life leading up to the killing, he becomes haunted by strange dreams, and a past that refuses to let him go.

Curator’s note
Filmed over two years, Lav Diaz’s international breakthrough is born out of the Filipino New Wave but curiously co-produced abroad. The wintry New Jersey setting is juxtaposed with the predominantly Filipino cast, in a film filled with contrasts and covert manoeuvres. Batang West Side appears to play by crime genre rules on its surface, while underneath, it slowly and secretly builds in power and profound meaning.

After premiering in the Philippines in 2001, Batang West Side garnered many accolades at international film festivals including the Best Picture prize at the Singapore International Film Festival. Today this haunting work is considered a striking turning point in Diaz’s career, ironically produced well before the Philippines’ “war on drugs” started in 2016.

– Reece Goodwin, Senior Programmer (Film & Screen Industry)