Chassis

A bleak and dismal portrait of a woman with nowhere to go and little to hold onto, CHASSIS is the story of Nora, a desperately poor and emotionally calloused mother who turns to prostitution in order to provide for her young daughter Sarah. Nora and Sarah's home consists of a cardboard sheet and ragged hammock tied to the undercarriage of a semi-trailer in a cargo terminal parking lot in the Filipino capital of Manila. As part of a severely impoverished and nomadic community, Nora is at the mercy of the truckers' schedules and must lug what few belongings she has from one truck chassis to another. Her only reason for living is her daughter, and she subjects herself to a life of indignity and degradation so that Sarah can go to school. Nora's helpless story is one of self-sacrifice, a statement on the oppressive patriarchal milieu of this region. Appalling and scandalous, CHASSIS is a truly unforgiving film shot in gloomy black and white tones, offering viewers an intimate observation of a hopeless woman through powerful close-ups of Nora's serene, lifeless face. With a compelling performance by Jodi Sta. Maria as Nora, CHASSIS is a daring social-realist drama that criticizes society for allowing women and children to live this way, simultaneously evoking empathy and outrage. (In Filipino and Tagalog with subtitles) – M.M.