Synopsis
“The vicious murder of a pawnbroker lies at the heart of
Diaz’s film. An overt reference to
Crime and Punishment, the murder also proves the link between
Norte’s two protagonists: a cynical university student and an impoverished street peddler. In colour and running only four hours,
Norte is somewhat of a departure from
Diaz’s other recent work; nevertheless, the filmmaker remains as bristling with outrage as ever at the moral bankruptcy that sprouts from the political disarray of the Philippines, past and present. Even at a shorter length,
Diaz’s mix of everyday episodes, moments of tenderness, off-screen events and sudden cataclysm startles and arrests.” – Harvard Film Archive
