Advertisement
ReviewVenice 2026: Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors movie review – Lav Diaz’s brutal colonial epic
Director Lav Diaz’s latest film explores colonial terror, faith and resistance in a perilous 17th century jungle in the Philippines
2-MIN READ2-MIN
Listen
3.5/5 stars
Filmmaker Lav Diaz takes audiences into the jungles of the Philippines with Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors, a harrowing historical drama premiering out of competition at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.
The premise here loosely evokes Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear (1953), replacing the volatile nitroglycerine of that film with massive blocks of limestone.
Set in the early 17th century, approximately a century after the events of Diaz’s 2025 film Magellan – which explored the Portuguese and Spanish colonial campaigns across Southeast Asia – the new feature continues the Filipino director’s fascination with the subject.
Select Voice
Select Speed
1x
AI-generated voice