‘On the Job 2’: Yesterday’s and today’s headlines
Sisoy and Roman help each other out in trying to get to the root of the killings. Amidst suspicions from his employers that he is ratting them out, Roman decides to fight for his own freedom. Sisoy executes a daring plan to expose political crimes, endangering his own family in the process.
I subscribed to HBO to catch On the Job: The Missing 8 (OTJ 2) — the sequel to Erik Matti's 2013 movie On the Job (OTJ), which was about convicts being taken out of prison to carry out political assassinations.
OTJ 2 was, like its predecessor, originally intended for a theatrical release. It premiered on 10 September 2021 at the 78th Venice International Film Festival where John Arcilla won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. It is the Philippines' official entry to the Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards on 12 March 2023.
ALL-STAR cast in Erik Matti's 'On The Job' 1 and 2.
A month prior to the Venice screening, WarnerMedia Asia bought the distribution rights to OTJ 1 and 2. Matti was commissioned to re-edit the two films into a six-part HBO Asia original miniseries. It was good timing then since the cinemas were still closed due to pandemic restrictions.
Now comes the news that OTJ 2 is having a limited screening at select Ayala cinemas until 8 November. There's an invite for me to watch it on 5 November at 4 p.m., but it's over three hours long and I have work in the office. I'll find time before it ends its run, since, as Matti explained in a Facebook post, "There is nothing like watching the nuances of the characters on the big screen and the epic, sprawling political landscape of the town of La Paz that is as timely as current headlines."
'OTJ 2' is now showing at select Ayala Cinemas until 8 November.
