History of Ha

History of Ha is a 2021 Philippine historical drama film written, directed, and edited by Lav Diaz. It premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 12, 2021 as part of the Dare section. It earned seven nominations at the 2022 Gawad Urian Awards including Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Direction. The Young Critics' Circle awarded it Best Picture for 2021 and Best Actor for John Lloyd Cruz.

Premise

Hernando Alamada realizes the Philippines is experiencing a bitter transition yet again after the president, Ramon Magsaysay, unexpectedly dies in a plane crash. Alamada treads on an aimless journey and descends into absurd madness before finding redemption.

Production and release

The film was shot in black-and-white and was shot in Sibaltan, Palawan, in 2019. The town's residents were also included in the cast. History of Ha was planned to premiere in the 2020 Locarno Film Festival, but it was not screened in that year and in 2021. It was also screened in the 2021 QCinema International Film Festival.

Cast

John Lloyd Cruz as Hernando Alamada, a vaudeville great and a former socialist cadre
Ha as himself
Teroy Guzman as Among Guzman
Mae Paner as Sister Lorenza
Dolly de Leon as Dahlia, an aging sex worker
Jonathan Francisco as Joselito
Hazel Orencio as Matilde
Earl Ignacio as Earnesto Guevara
Eliezl Gabuco as Hernanda
Jun Sabayton as Congressman Torres

Reception

ABS-CBN's Fred Hawson described the film as a black comedy with a steady pace in storytelling and commended its cast for acting "physically-demanding" and "dangerous" scenes such as walking on mountain paths during rainfall. The film is "rich in political discourse" and multi-layered as it discusses a ventroquilist's context in a post-vaudeville era and serves as a cautionary tale for The Philippine Star's Juaniyo Arcellana.