After his father goes missing, fifteen-year-old Mateo takes responsibility for his two younger siblings. But when a confrontation with a classmate escalates to violence and leads to the boy's accidental death, Mateo seeks help from Berto, a local gang leader whom he barely knows. Berto introduces him to the world of the syndicate and the harrowing realities of life, death and beasthood.

Premiering in competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival, THE GOSPEL OF THE BEAST is a “gorgeously lensed” coming-of-age feature from acclaimed Philippine director Sheron Dayoc that “builds tension” (The Daily Tribune) while feeling “both realistic and determinedly fatalistic” in its “gritty, despairing look at a country wracked by drugs, robbery and murder” (The Hollywood Reporter).

DIRECTED BY SHERON DAYOC
PHILIPPINES | 2023 | FILIPINO WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES