Phantosmia

Join us in the cinema for the Australian premiere screening of Laz Diaz’s meditative psychological mystery.

Something is rotten in the Philippines. Former soldier Hilarion Zabala (Ronnie Lazaro) has been diagnosed with phantosmia, a psychological affliction that causes him to hallucinate an unshakeable foul smell.

Taking to wearing a cloth mask over his nose, Hilarion embarks on a personal journey to trace his condition back to a past trauma – possibly from his time as a young soldier. Breaking retirement, he takes on a new post and a demotion on Pulo, an island penal colony, under the watchful eye of an autocratic major.

Curator’s note
Merging the personal with the political, Laz Diaz’s psychological drama takes audiences into the repressed depths of a retired soldier’s memories. Concurrently, we are immersed in the collective amnesia of a country glossing over its dark days. It’s an unrushed journey, mesmerising in its thoughtful pace and powerful in its steady ambition.

Ronnie Lazaro (Magellan, Evolution of a Filipino Family) is captivating as the neckerchief-wearing sergeant, reminiscent of an archetypal American Western hero drifting into town as a mysterious outsider on a mission.

Phantosmia had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, as a special out-of-competition screening.

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