Nunal Sa Tubig (Digitally Restored)

Nunal sa Tubig is a story of a community living on an island where fishing is the main source of livelihood and how they are affected by progress.

Ishmael Bernal’s opus recreates the quality and slow pace of life in a dying village surrounded by the sea as it is caught in the eternal cycle of love and hate, of fertility and pollution, of birth and death. A bold and successful attempt to depart from the usual commercial fare, it cryptically paints a large, bleak canvas showing rural fold and how their chances at redemption and happiness are irreversibly decimated by poverty, ignorance, neglect and the dark side of big business.

Sta. Fe, a village located in the middle of Laguna de Bay is known for its milk fish pens. Some investors capitalize on fish pens under the care of Mang Pedro (Ruben Rustia). However, for some unknown reasons, the fish began to die, prompting the villagers to salt them and dry them in the sun in order to save the situation and recover some financial losses.

When Benjamin (George Estregan), the owner of a boat that serves as a shuttle service to the village, fell in love with Chedeng (Daria Ramirez), a soon-to-be full-time trained midwife, and her best friend and neighbor, Maria (Elizabeth Oropesa), a love triangle was formed in the village. Chedeng and Maria had no idea Benjamin had feelings for both of them.

Benjamin decided to leave the village and join the Philippine Navy after he stopped ferrying people. He also decided to abandon Maria while she was pregnant.

Chedeng eventually went on to become a midwife. Chedeng was upset when Benjamin impregnated Maria, but she decided that her friend would be her first patient. Unfortunately, this would have a tragic outcome with Maria losing her baby. This forced Chedeng to leave the village and live somewhere else. Chedeng couldn’t endure the culpability of losing her friend’s baby.

Maria was left to carry on the sad struggles that she had to overcome by herself after both Benjamin and Chedeng had left the village. Maria and her Aunt Banang (Ella Luansing) stared at the sky and see the sun coming out from the clouds while gathering wood on a nearby hill. This signals another cycle is achieved. But the cycle ascends to another level of life and death.

Director: Ishmael Bernal
Writer: Jorge Arago
Stars: Elizabeth Oropesa, Daria Ramirez, George Estregan, Ruben Rustia, Pedro Faustino, Ella Luansing, Nenita Jana, Ven Medina, Rustica Carpio, Leticia de Guzman, Tita De Villa, Paquito Salcedo, Lem Garcellano, Carlos Padilla Jr., Tony Carreon, Bong Perez, Joey Bolisay, Rey Tabla