# Balota (film)

Balota (lit. 'Ballot') is a 2024 Philippine political thriller satire drama film written and directed by Kip Oebanda. The film stars Marian Rivera as Emmy, a teacher who is thrust into a dangerous situation during a volatile local election, with Will Ashley, Nico Antonio, Royce Cabrera, Raheel Bhyria, Sue Prado, Felix Petate, Esnyr Ranollo, Donna Cariaga, Joel Saracho, Gardo Versoza, and Mae Paner in supporting roles. The film premiered in competition at the 20th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival on August 2, 2024. It was produced by GMA Pictures, GMA Entertainment Group, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

## Plot

Emmy is a teacher living with her son Enzo in an unnamed town. She is also an election worker who monitors the voting process held in her school, which becomes a polling station during the 2007 elections. The campaign is marred by killings and ballot-snatching by a gang led by Migs as well as vote-buying for the mayoralty race, which is contested by Edraline, a former actor campaigning on a change platform, and the corrupt incumbent, Hidalgo, who owns multiple businesses and mistreats her employees, among them Emmy's friends.
The election is tightly-fought, with only the results from Emmy's precinct uncounted. A COMELEC representative appears at the school and asks for escorts to transport the ballot box containing the results to the governor. Emmy volunteers and is joined by a colleague, Waks. Before leaving, the principal handcuffs Emmy to the ballot box to protect the votes inside. Along the way, the COMELEC man tries to bribe them to surrender the box, but the two refuse. The man then pulls out a gun and shoots at Emmy, who shields herself with the box before bludgeoning the COMELEC man to death with it. However, Waks is mortally wounded after being shot during the scuffle and tells Emmy to escape.
Emmy hides in the back of a passing truck, but later flees into the forest after overhearing police at a checkpoint telling the driver to stay silent over Waks and the COMELEC man's deaths. Emmy phones Enzo, who is with her cousin Melissa and her son Jimbo. Two policemen, Morales and Pastor, arrive and arrest Enzo, who hides his phone. In prison, the officers tell Enzo that Emmy is the suspect in Waks and the COMELEC man's deaths. Jimbo follows Enzo to the police station, but is captured and held hostage along with Melissa by Migs, who demands Emmy reveal her whereabouts. As Emmy phones her location, Jimbo stabs Migs, who then shoots him and Melissa dead as Emmy listens. At their rendezvous, Emmy stabs Migs in the neck with a pen and pushes him down a slope to his death.
As Pastor and Morales transport Enzo, Pastor discovers Enzo's phone, prompting him to stage Enzo's mock execution while calling Emmy to overhear the event. However, Morales kills Pastor when he attempts to summarily execute Enzo on false charges. Morales rescues Enzo and reveals that he is indebted to Emmy, his former teacher, for accepting him as gay. However, he reveals that he doesn't know who he is taking orders from.
Emmy, believing Hidalgo to be responsible for the ballot-snatching, seeks help from Edraline at his estate, but realizes that he orchestrated the incident after he tries to bribe her to surrender the box. Emmy discreetly warns Enzo as she flatters Edraline to buy time. Knowing that Hidalgo is just as corrupt as her opponent, Enzo and Morales mobilize the community against Edraline, despite their resentment against Hidalgo. They storm Edraline's estate and rescue Emmy just as Edraline sees through her ruse and prepares to kill her. As Edraline is led away after being arrested by Morales, Hidalgo arrives to express her appreciation to Emmy for securing the ballot box, whose results guarantee her reelection. However, Emmy reveals her contempt for both Hidalgo and Edraline and demands that Hidalgo treat her employees fairly in exchange for her certifying that no voter fraud had occurred. Hidalgo reluctantly complies.
At the next election, Hidalgo is suspended for corruption while an imprisoned Edraline runs again facing Emmy's friend Babe, for the mayorship. As voting concludes, Emmy, now a school principal who reprises her role as an election worker, curses in frustration at the state of politics in the country.

## Cast

* Marian Rivera as Emmy, a teacher in a small town. During the local election, Emmy is assigned to the Board of Election Inspectors for her precinct. As violence erupts, she must flee into the forest with a ballot box containing the final copy of the election results.
* Will Ashley as Enzo
* Royce Cabrera as SPO1 Jeremy Morales
* Nico Antonio as Migs
* Raheel Bhyria as Jimbo
* Sue Prado as Melissa
* Felix Petate as Dominador "Babe" Babista
* Esnyr Ranollo as Ehrmengard
* Donna Cariaga as Anita Hernandez
* Joel Saracho as Pastor
* Gardo Versoza as Giancarlo Edraline
* Mae Paner as Elena Hidalgo

## Production

After directing Liway (2018), and Bar Boys (2017), Oebanda also helmed this project. The film stars Marian Rivera as Emmy, a teacher responsible for safeguarding a crucial ballot box during a politically charged crisis. Oebanda praised Rivera for her profound emotional range and commitment to the role. He first considered Rivera for the film after watching her performance in a pandemic-era rendition of Himala, directed by her husband Dingdong Dantes. Despite initial concerns about Rivera’s availability due to her busy schedule, a successful script reading and shared political perspectives led to her agreement to join the project. Rivera stated that she did not want to use a body double in her role in the film. She also dismissed concerns about potential injuries, noting that the adrenaline and focus required for acting made her forget about the risk of getting hurt. She believed that if she focused on the possibility of injury, it would negatively impact her performance. Will Ashley, who plays Enzo in the film, is also part of the cast.
The film features social media personalities Felix Petate known for as Sassa Gurl and Esnyr Ranollo, recognized for his role in Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme (2023). Oebanda's casting choices reflect a desire to question traditional political narratives and highlight the contributions of women and LGBTQ+ individuals in political activism. The film is co-produced by GMA Pictures, GMA Entertainment Group, and Film Development Council of the Philippines. In addition to Rivera, the supporting cast includes Royce Cabrera, Nico Antonio, Raheel Bhyria, Sue Prado, Joel Saracho, Gardo Versoza, Mae Paner, and Donna Cariaga.

## Themes

   We made a film about people who are sick and tired of having the rich and powerful take their power and voice away from them.
The central themes of the film delivers a clear message about the corruption, deceit, integrity, and democracy that plague Philippine elections, it also examines the dangers of blindly idolizing politicians. However, rather than presenting fresh insights or a thought-provoking perspective, the film reiterates issues that are already well-known to many Filipinos.
Oebanda expressed that while the corruption of the electoral system is a longstanding issue, it does not have to be inevitable. He highlighted the prevalence of violence in Philippine elections, including poll officials being murdered, widespread vote buying, and corrupt state forces. He also referenced the silent martyrs, such as real-life teachers Nellie Banaag and Filomena Tatlonghari, who died in an attack by gunmen on a polling precinct during the 2007 elections.

## Release

The film's official teaser was released on July 5, 2024, providing an initial look at the film. The official poster was revealed on July 12, 2024. The 30-second official trailer was released on July 22, 2024.
The film premiered at Cinemalaya on August 3, 2024 and at the Hawaii International Film Festival on October 6, 2024 and released nationwide on October 16, 2024. It was also released on Netflix on January 31, 2025.

## Reception
### Box office

A week into the Cinemalaya festival, the film was revealed to be one of the top two performing films in terms of ticket sales, according to the Cinemalaya organization.

### Critical reception

Critical reception for the film was generally positive. According to review aggregator site Kritikultura, the film received a score of 70/100 based on 14 reviews, indicating a favorable reception.
Stephanie Mayo of the Daily Tribune reviewed Balota as part of her coverage of Cinemalaya films. She praised Rivera for her committed portrayal of Teacher Emmy, a character who stands up for what is right while handcuffed to a ballot box. However, Mayo criticized the film’s comedic and theatrical elements, which she felt weakened its potential for strong, impactful commentary. She described the film as aiming for crowd-pleasing rather than delivering a subtle and effective message, ultimately giving it a 2 out of 5 stars rating.
Philbert Dy of Letterboxd praised Rivera’s performance, calling her the best part of the movie. He described her character as bold and righteous, noting that Rivera acts as the film's moral center while engaging in defiant and provocative behavior. Dy suggested that Rivera’s role makes her the hero the film—and perhaps even the nation—needs. Writing for Spot.ph, Dy noted that the film touches on widely accepted issues: flawed elections, a lack of good candidates, and the positive role of teachers. The review criticized the film’s approach to political satire as toothless, stating that it reiterates known points without adding depth. However, as mainstream entertainment, it could be seen as edgy. He praised Rivera's performance, describing her as the film's fun and profane moral center, playing a whirlwind of a woman who is not afraid to flip people off or yell at them.
Actor John Arcilla praised Rivera's performance in the film, calling it "such an admirable act". He commended Rivera's talent and significant contribution to the film, noting her role as a standout element in the production.
Society of Filipino Film Reviewers included the film in their top three films for the festival, with an average rating of 3.63 out of 5 stars rating.

## Accolades

Accolades received by Balota :
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| 2024 Cinemalaya Awards | August 11, 2024 | Best Actress | Marian Rivera | Won |
| Rising Filipino Awards | November 24, 2024 | Best Actress | Marian Rivera | Won |
| 2024 TAG Victorious Awards Chicago | January 15, 2025 | Best Actress | Marian Rivera | Won |
| 3rd Gawad Dangal Filipino Awards | January 23, 2025 | Best Actress | Marian Rivera | Won |
| 4th Primetime Media Choice Awards | January 28, 2025 | Excellence in Performance Award | Marian Rivera | Won |
| 5th Pinoy Rebyu Awards | March 8, 2025 | Best Lead Performance | Marian Rivera | Pending |
| 5th Pinoy Rebyu Awards | March 8, 2025 | Best Film Editing | Chuck Gutierrez | Pending |
| Lasallian Scholarum Awards | March 13, 2025 | Outstanding Feature Film on Youth and Education | Balota | Pending |