Mono No Aware (2026)

Interesting facts

Mono No Aware is a 2026 Philippine drama film written and directed by BC Amparado. Starring Filipino actors Juan Karlos Labajo and Perry Dizon, and Japanese actress Momoko Kobayashi, the story follows a Filipino kodokushi cleaner who encounters an elderly widower who asks him to fulfill one last request before he dies.

Production

Mono No Aware was originally envisioned in 2020 by filmmaker BC Amparado as his feature film debut; however, although it is set in Japan, securing an international co-producer for this matter was considered "impossible". He subsequently refined it in an online screenwriting workshop conducted by screenwriter Ricky Lee, where his classmate showed interest in the material, offering to acquire and develop it for a different director, but ultimately…

The film is inspired by Amparado's experiences and memories with his uncle, who worked as an OFW in Japan. These experiences led him to "explore the emotions of grief and loneliness and isolation" after he was sparked an interest in the country and the concept of mono no aware. Apart from his uncle, he also cited films including Wim Wenders' Perfect Days and Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters as another inspirations.

While making Gulay Lang, Manong, Amparado approached actor Perry Dizon, whom he believed was the perfect actor to play George, citing his long hair and apparent reserved appearance at that time and his appearance in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car in 2021. Juan Karlos Labajo was cast as Ichi and began preparing by gaining weight and learning Japanese with the help of a language coach.

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