Citizen Jake

Jake Herrera, a journalist and blogger obsessed by the corruption in his country, is fighting against his family’s past by trying to expose the wrongdoings of his father, a senator, and faithful companion of the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. Before the 2016 elections, while continuing his solitary struggle against his father, he started to investigate the death of a young woman...

This film, directed by Mike de Leon following almost two decades of his semi-retirement, is a story about the disillusionment of youth and the incessant battle against corruption at the heart of government. “‘Citizen Jake’, through this politically-orientated investigative story of a journalist, brings up a strong subject : the Marcos dictatorship, corruption and the impunity of those who took advantage of it and who are still in office. Even more enthralling is the fact that it articulates the intimate family history with national events. The film, made in 2018, turns out to be premonitory because the father and his Mafia set, supporters of Duterte, want the Marcoses to return to power, which will happen in 2022.” Charles Tesson