Essential Truths of the Lake

A renowned Filipino investigator reopens a cold case in Lav Diaz’s police drama that is anything but procedural.

Amid President Duterte’s “war on drugs”, Lieutenant Hermes Papauran – considered one of the best investigators in the Philippines – is at odds with his peers, colleagues and the Duterte regime which is advocating for police brutality and extrajudicial killings. 

Retreating into his work, Hermes reopens a cold case. An actor has been missing since 2005, and Hermes is determined to find out why.

Curator’s note
Lav Diaz’s second instalment in his planned Hermes Trilogy is a prequel to his 2022 film When the Waves Are Gone. This second outing for his recurring investigator character steps further away from the neo-noir leanings of the first film, and characterises the investigator as patient and thoughtful.

Sometimes described as a procedural, this film is not that – there are no methodical processes here. Hardboiled? This is detective drama is slow cooked to perfection.