AllMovie

A complex film within a film that attempts to explore the myth of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, director Mike De Leon's study in manufactured mythology attempts to explore the life of Rizal while simultaneously investigating his influence on modern Philippine society. It seems that the culture has embraced the idea of a nation icon rather than the physical reality of the man behind the myth, and director De Leon begins to study the historical accounts of Rizal's life while attempting to contact the family and friends that were closest to him. Confounded by the controversial letter of retraction that Rizal signed in his later days, the filmmakers attempt to uncover the motivation of the legend in renouncing all he stood for and opting for and embracing the society that he so vehemently denounced. Soon coming to the end of their search for facts and unable to solve the mystery of the letter, the filmmakers, at odds with their belief of recorded history, find that discovering the ultimate truth to the legend may be an unattainable goal.