When Fabian returns, everything suggests that he’s on course for redemption, but Diaz has darker things in mind, and the last half-hour give us several unexpected shocks, not to mention a quasi-mystical dream moment that nicely punctures the general realist tenor.
Some previous Diaz films have tended to wander narratively wherever production circumstances take them, partly as a result of his improvisatory, work-in-progress approach to shooting. But Norte is a comparatively streamlined piece of storytelling, as well as stylistically different from other Diaz films.
Instead of the extended tableau-like locked shots, this one has rhythmic editing and elegant camera moves, together with some poised compositions and sometimes vibrant lighting from cinematographer Lauro Rene Manda. And some of the long takes are still there, sometimes mustering huge emotional intensity. Diaz has a reputation as a hard director, but Norte has grace, humanity and narrative verve aplenty, along with intellectual clout - although some Filipino political references may be lost on most viewers.
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