''Brutal'' is a 1980 Filipino film directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya with a screenplay by

Ricky Lee Ricardo Lee (born as March 19, 1948) is a Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright. He was conferred the Order of National Artists of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022. Starting in 1973, he has written more ...

. It was the first major Filipino film to tackle rape as a feminist issue. ''Brutal'' was followed by ''

Moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

'' (1982) and '' Karnal'' (1983), a loose trilogy of feminist films directed by Abaya and written by Lee.

Cast

Production

After the success of her directorial debut ''Tanikala'' (1980), Marilou Diaz-Abaya was approached by producer Jesse Ejercito to direct a film for him starring

Amy Austria Esmeralda Diaz Tuazon (born December 13, 1961), known professionally as Amy Austria-Ventura, is a Filipino film and television actress. Austria is recognized as one of the defining actresses in Philippine cinema. She has won a FAMAS Award, 2 G ...

, who had recently distinguished herself in the 1979 Lina Brocka film ''

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

''.

Reception

Accolades

References

{{Marilou Diaz-Abaya 1980 films Philippine drama films 1980 drama films 1980s Tagalog-language films Films set in the Philippines Films directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya Films about rape