

Nine minutes. One lie. Infinite guilt. Catholic trauma has entered the chat.
When Maria witnesses an accidental family tragedy, she's told it never happened and must decide what to do with the truth.
Acting
Tolentino's eyes do what dialogue cannot.
Direction
Asuncion stretches nine minutes into eternal dread.
Director
Malindi Asuncion
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Asuncion explores hiya—Filipino shame culture—through a specifically Filipino-American Catholic lens where family reputation trumps individual grief.
The 9-minute runtime mirrors confession: brief, ritualized, yet the weight extends far beyond the booth. Maria never gets absolution, only the performance of it.