Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan (As the Hydra Devours History) is a fictional thought-provoking, necessarily uncomfortable, and unapologetic film by director Dustin Celestino revolving around the lives of key figures involved in the presidential elections set in 2022, as they go through its aftermath and the shifting political landscape in the Philippines. It may well be one of the most important Filipino films of 2025 and a certified must-watch.
As a person who was heavily involved in a presidential election in the Philippines, the presentation of the struggles of the characters of political strategist, Kiko Consuelo (Jojit Lorenzo); history professor, Bea Consuelo (Dolly de Leon); disillusioned speechwriter, David Cruz (Zanjoe Marudo); and election lawyer, Mela Lanuza (Mylene Dizon) was all too visceral. The film follows the story of these people invested in the 2022 presidential elections and how they, in their own ways, attempt to come to terms with its outcome, just as I, and many of us, did. From start to finish, my chest felt heavy, and I was in tears more times than I preferred.
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The film adopts a duologue format for the majority of its run and forces the audience to come to terms with their sentiments on the results of the elections through the dance of dichotomized but overlapping political views, perfectly executed by the characters in the scene. This also means intentionally exposing the audience to a protracted feeling of discomfort, like looking in a mirror and examining your political faults and your moral biases. I am certain that the dualogues are effective enough to force even apolitical members of the audience to stop dismissing politics and to instead begin to understand and appreciate the consequences of the decisions of the Filipino people and the political environment we now all have to live through.
The dialogues in the story, which focused on the moral and intellectual exchanges on the character’s sentiments, risked living on the cusp of being indulgent, but never breached the territories of preachy. Instead, all the scenes remained as exercises in reflection of the principles and values the audience espouses as a Filipino, in what you stand for, in seeking blame by scrutinizing the demarcation between right and wrong, and in how uncomfortable you are willing to be to stay true to what you believe in. The lines delivered by the characters are socially aware and well-researched, and serve as a litmus test on the willingness of the Filipino people for introspection.
I felt honored to watch Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan. I came out of the cinema questioning whether my patriotism is born out of hope or an expression of necrophilia. Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan is political contemplation captured on film, and is a confrontation with modern Filipino pride, executed with subtle but potent intensity. Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan is a true ray of hope in Filipino cinema.
SCORE: 5 out of 5 crowns
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