Waste of time

Charming and brutal

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Lav Diaz is famous (or infamous) for long runtimes. This one isn't too long (for Diaz's standards) but it is quite long and stretchy. If it was cut down to say, a 3-hour runtime, the story would still be effectively told. Nonetheless, the film still managed to hold my attention. Throw me a movie with a countryside view, a laid-back province environment, a village by the sea, and a green scenery, and I will surely glue my eyes on it.The movie revolves around the lives of 3 central characters, played by versatile and veteran supporting casts. These central characters I'm referring to are 1) Fabian- a genius turned lunatic 2) Joaquin- a family man indicted for a crime he never committed and 3) Elisa- the perfect example of a strong woman. It's so hard to choose which of the three characters most affected us, or who most most realistically depicts how sad and cruel society is. Their lives are so colorful that in the turn of events, one can only ponder on how cruel can fate be. I would give a special shout out to Sid Lucero, who plays Fabian in the movie. Fabian is an interesting character. He was a former law student whose intellect could have made him bar topnotcher. He likes talking about philosophy, conspiracies, politics, history--smart man. But I guess what he had in intellect, he lacked in rational thinking. He ran out of his mind because he was probably eaten by guilt. He was someone who can't control his emotions. And this led him to do crazy things. And this, ladies and gentleman, was very well acted by no less than Sid Lucero. I can't even think of someone else doing the role than him. Then again, Sid Lucero has already proved his versatility and craftsmanship that it's no longer a question.At first I didn't know what's the relation between Norte and the movie. I found out later on that the film was shot in the northern most part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Thus, the "North". As to the "end of history" part, well, it could be both literal and metaphorical. The movie has serious and deep themes which spices up the whole movie. There's murder, poverty, guilt, judgement, incest, hope, faith, longing, remorse...name it. All of these are depicted in the three lives connected to each other by fate. The no. 1 strength this movie has to offer is the brilliant performances from the actors. They brought the whole story, which is already great by itself, even greater.

An absolute masterpiece from Philippines, inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime & Punishment" but told through real events & political / social problems of the director's country… This is the first 4 hour movie that didn't even feel that length, perfectly paced, beautifully shot, deep & reflective, gripping & awe inspiring… this is the human condition in it's most naturalistic state… Can't wait to see another one of this brilliant film makers films which have running times up to 11 hours… a masterpiece that will take some time to wipe form your memory…http://samuellbronko.tumblr.com/post/117757930882/norte-the-end-of- history-2013-lav-diaz

Lav Diaz's 'Norte, The End of History' is set in the northwest region of the Philippines. This drama is split between the lives of two men, Fabian (Sid Lucerio) and Joaquin (Archie Alemania), whose lives intertwine unexpectedly.Fabian is a smug, self-absorbed man of privilege in his early thirties, a once gifted law student who dropped out for reasons unknown. He spends his time annoying his friends with his ill-conceived lectures on the defining theories of humanity. Joaquin is a poor man, who has a wife Eliza (Angeli Bayani) and two children. A serious leg injury wipes out their hard-earned savings.Loosely based on Dostoyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment', these two men have one thing in common, both are in serious arrears to local money lender Magda (Mae Paner). Both men take matters into their own hands, with differing consequences. Fabian flees, Joaquin is sent to prison. Over the next four years, Joaquin tries to make the best of a horrible situation, whilst Eliza struggles to provide for her children. Fabian is consumed by guilt, driven to the point of madness.Diaz looks at how the people of the Philippines have coped with their changing economical circumstances, people who have grown up in a dysfunctional country where they are encouraged to work outside of the country to make more money. Fabian rages against the memory of his parents being absent, and of being brought up by his maid. Joaquin and Eliza wanted to avoid this, they didn't want their children to be without their parents, however poor this would make them. Its a balancing act we all face, we gain one at the expense of another. Which is more important?Diaz is renowned for extremely long films, some for over 6 hours, 'Norte, The End of History' is only 250 minutes long! He favours long takes and slow tracking shots, illustrating the slow and monotonous rhythms of life. Its beautifully filmed, interspersed with some superb drama from an excellent cast are huge swathes of emptiness, especially in the second and third hour. The final hour is cruel and deeply disturbing, but the overall impact of these tragic moments of devastation are weakened by the preceding stretches of nothing.'Norte, The End of History' is an ambitious film, by a fascinating director. Its a shame your patience wasn't tested to such extremes, as such this film is only for the most dedicated viewer. Sometimes, a film is just too long for its own good.

To watch this movie, you have to be prepared to give your time and decide to sink into the life of Fabian (Sid Lucero). The slow turn of the movie with Ilocos as backdrop is certainly a treat for the moviegoer who is prepared to immerse in the arguments and debates of Fabian with his friends. Towards the end, we begin to understand the psyche behind Fabian's mind when we meet her sister. His relationship with family was never really a nurturing one and this takes a toll not only to Fabian but also to the man's family who got blamed for his crime. Sid is great here! Perhaps anybody else would not be as great in the role. My only regret with this movie is how unlucky (malas) Joaquin's family is! Joaquin is the man who got blamed from Fabian's crime. I mean, they really had it bad until the end. I didn't get bored at all with this movie. My advise is: set aside time to see it