A gripping look at the West Philippine Sea dispute through the lens of a food-delivery mission and a tense maritime journey.
Director Baby Ruth Villarama and her team navigate a spectrum of ships to document the ongoing clash between the Philippines and China over control of a region now widely referred to as the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the area many nations recognize as the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China, by contrast, has expanded its presence with coast guard and fishing vessels, actions that include harassing and attempting to board Filipino boats as sovereignty tensions escalate. The footage captures moments of high tension at sea, though much of it unfolds as a display of posturing: officers from different vessels exchange swaggering statements and legal jargon over short-wave radios, a form of aerial diplomacy that plays out across the waves.
The film’s title underscores the Filipino military’s ongoing mission to deliver food supplies to soldiers stationed on small, isolated outposts within the WPS. When the term “islands” is used here, it refers to tiny sandbanks in shallow waters, no larger than a football pitch, reachable only by fast, inflatable boats. The scenes are stark and sometimes unsettling, as the loaded boats zip across chop and spray, with baby goats and canned provisions scrambling for footing on the vessels. The documentary also follows fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, who report declines in catches attributed to interference by Chinese fishing fleets operating in the area.
From a technical standpoint, the film’s structure can feel a bit uneven, and the score at times leans into melodrama. Nevertheless, the subject matter remains compelling and relatively underexplored beyond East Asia.
