Balikbayan box

Balikbayan Box

The relentless and often selfish pursuit of wants can be conflicting and detrimental to established relationships. Set on the day of New Year’s Eve, John comes home to his family late for Christmas. John wants to create a life abroad. His desires manifest when he obsesses over retrieving a kite stuck in the tree. Maria is a housewife who hungers for the love and affection of a man. To quell her hunger, she keeps a lover on the side. Her desires manifest when she tries to fit a dress that is too tight for her. Jack is John and Maria’s 5-year old illegitimate child who is estranged to both of his parents because of their neglect. He is caught in the crossfire of their pursuits. Jack takes interest in the empty balikbayan box that his father brought home. The film reflects not on the physical distance between the family members, but rather the emotional distance they have between each other, which they strive to hide behind a facade of “playing house”.