''Deleter'' is a 2022 Philippine

techno-horror Techno-horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that focuses on concerns and fears of technology. The stories are often cautionary tales created during periods of rapid technological advancement expressing concerns about privacy, freedom, individu ...

film directed by

Mikhail Red Mikhail Red is a Filipinos, Filipino filmmaker. He is best known for his films ''Birdshot (film), Birdshot'' (2016), ''Eerie (film), Eerie'' (2019), and ''Dead Kids (film), Dead Kids'' (2019), which was the first ever Netflix original film from t ...

, starring

Nadine Lustre Nadine Alexis Paguia Lustre (, ; born October 31, 1993) is a Filipino actress and singer. She rose to fame after playing the lead role of Eya Rodriguez in the film '' Diary ng Panget'' (2014). Lustre has since starred in the television serie ...

Louise delos Reyes Mary Grace delos Reyes Perido (born September 1, 1992), better known Louise delos Reyes, is a Filipino actress and model. She left GMA Network in May 2017 and signed a 5 year-managerial contract with Viva which made her comeback on ABS-CBN and ...

, McCoy de Leon, and Jeffrey Hidalgo. It was released theatrically on December 25, 2022 as an entry to the

2022 Metro Manila Film Festival The 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 48th edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. It is being organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). During ...

Floats_of_the_48th_Metro_Manila_Festival_Parade_of_Stars_40

Plot summary

The film follows Lyra, who works shifts at a shadowy online

content moderation On Internet websites that invite users to post comments, content moderation is the process of detecting contributions that are irrelevant, obscene, illegal, harmful, or insulting with regards to useful or informative contributions. The purpose of ...

office where employees, known as deleters, are tasked with the process of filtering graphic uploads from reaching social media platforms. The responsibility of censorship proves bearable for Lyra, whom her co-workers, as well as her boss Simon, observe as a cold person unfazed by the disturbing imagery she sees on a daily basis. What they do not know is that Lyra hides a deep trauma. Lyra’s attempt to erase and forget her past has forced her to maintain an apathetic face to the horrors of the world.

Cast

Main

as Lyra *

as Aileen * McCoy de Leon as Jace * Jeffrey Hidalgo as Simon

Supporting

* Sarah Jane Abad as The Grey Woman * Billy Villeta as Axel * Madelaine Red as Gossiping Co-worker * Elia Ilano as young Lyra * Kedebon Colim as Store Attendant * Keiko Fox as Sheka * Charo Laude as Armi * Matthew Francisco as Benru * Nic Galvez as Gossiping Co-worker * Bombi Plata as Lyra's father * Erica Zerna as Lyra's mother / Crowd * JC Martin as Jace's Co-worker

Production

Development

''Deleter'' was reported to be the first collaboration between

and

Viva Films Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr. History Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta- Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to q ...

. Red worked on the Philippines' reputation being the "

capital of the world" as well as the mental health and working conditions of content moderators for the story of ''Deleter''.

Filming

Filming began in July 2022 amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and hence the usual COVID-19 protocols was observed. Only a few filming locations was utilized to simulate a "claustrophobic environment".

Release

''Deleter'' premiered in cinemas in the Philippines on December 25, 2022 as one of the eight entries of the

. However the film was not originally intended made specifically for the film festival. The film was also released internationally. It premiered in the United States on January 6, 2023 and is set to be released in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

on January 12, 2023.

Awards and nominations

Reception

Box office

According to unofficial figures obtained by PEP.ph, ''Deleter'' has reportedly earned on the first day of the

, becoming the film with the second biggest opening for any entries that day. Three days after its released, the film has grossed more than . By the end of the year,

Ogie Diaz Roger Diaz Pandaan (born January 2, 1970), known professionally as Ogie Diaz (), is a Filipino comedian, actor, entertainment reporter, and talent manager. He is popularly known as "''Pekto''", the name of his character in the long-running forme ...

, a showbiz columnist and talent manager reported that ''Deleter'' earned making it the top grossing film among the entries. On January 8, 2023, the film maintained its top spot after already grossing . The following day, this figure rose to .

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 21237578 Viva Films films Philippine horror films Philippine science fiction horror films Philippine ghost films Films about nightmares Techno-horror films Psychological horror films Psychological thriller films Filipino-language films Films directed by Mikhail Red Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Films about social media Films about censorship