Three women, one house, zero illusions — Filipino New Wave grit before it was cool.
The story of three young women, Salome (Amy Austria), Bella (Rio Locsin) and Sylvia (Lorna Tolentino), are prostitutes who live together in one house.
Acting
Tolentino, Austria, Locsin — three powerhouses, zero vanity.
Direction
San Jose captures Manila's underbelly without exploitation.
Director
Philip San Jose
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during the final years of Marcos' martial law, 'Chicks' belongs to a brief explosion of socially critical Filipino cinema that vanished once censorship tightened again.
Lorna Tolentino would become Philippine cinema royalty; this early role already shows the moral complexity that defined her career. The film's near-invisibility outside archives speaks to how poorly 1980s Filipino independent cinema was preserved.
PH
