Mangatyanan

Laya Marquez is a 27-year-old travel photographer whose cool, aloof persona masks a painful family history. She remains estranged from her mother Luzviminda and her father, the famous photographer Danilo Marquez. She also carries a lifelong sleep struggle; she has not had a complete dream or a full night's sleep since she was 12.

Danilo suffers a heart attack, plunging the family into crisis. Laya pays the hospital bills, signaling her partial support, but she refuses to visit him in the hospital, deepening the rift with Luzviminda. The act highlights the unresolved tension between Laya and her father and mother.

It is revealed that Danilo used to visit Laya in her bedroom at night to abuse her, a trauma that haunts her. Luzviminda believes Danilo had an affair, not realizing that the 'other woman' is actually Laya herself. The discovery reframes their family history and explains the rift between them.

Laya is paired with Eric and assigned by their boss Queen to document the Mangatyanan blood trail ritual of the Labwanan, a tribe created for the story. The project aims to capture the ritual before its tradition fades away, setting the stage for a deeper personal resonance for Laya.

Laya and Eric meet a severely dwindled Labwanan group, whose cultural identity now hinges on Mang Renato, the tribal leader. The tribe's rituals appear fragile as the younger generation drifts away and memory of the Mangatyanan wanes.

As they document the ritual, Laya senses a parallel between the Labwanan's decline and her own family trauma. She witnesses the ritual's moral complexities and questions what they are willing to sacrifice for tradition. This connection pulls her deeper into the process than simple documentation.

Conflicts and moral failures among the Labwanan lead to the disruption of the Mangatyanan ritual. Laya and Eric are eventually asked to leave the tribe, marking a turning point in their assignment and highlighting the limits of outside observers.

Undeterred, Laya runs away and takes it upon herself to perform the final steps of Mangatyanan. One of these steps involves drinking a potentially fatal hallucinogenic concoction, pushing her to the edge of survival and belief.

Eric and the tribesmen attempt to resuscitate Laya as the drug's effects intensify. The experience triggers a visionary sequence that blends memory and myth, signaling a turning point in her understanding of herself.

In the trance, Laya encounters Edwary Woody, who asks for her forgiveness. She initially refuses, but he urges her to confront the past and consider forgiving her mother.

Forgiving her mother allows Laya to release herself from the past's grip. She experiences a sense of dignity and personal freedom she had long sought, marking the emotional reconciliation at the story's end.