Silip


Silip is a 1985 Philippine sexploitation film directed by Elwood Perez and written by Ricardo Lee. The film was released outside of the Philippines as Daughters of Eve.

Plot

In the remote countryside of Ilocos, various women are sexually abused by local men. Two sisters, Tonya, a sexually repressed young woman, and Selda, a promiscuous woman, meet Simon, the most attractive man in the village. Tonya teaches catechism to the children of the village. Selda comes home from the city with her American lover, whom she throws out shortly afterward. She's the exact opposite of Tonya, as her views on sex are more liberal and less guilt-filled. Tonya is secretly sexually attracted to Simon, but she refuses his sexual advances.

Partial cast

First released in 1985, the film was commercially released on DVD by Mondo Macabro in 2007. The region-one two-DVD set has soundtracks in both Tagalog and English.

Reception

Of the DVD release, Kurt Dahlke of DVD Talk noted that Silip: Daughters of Eve is an exploitation film, but "not your usual empty-headed sleaze show," and he remarked that viewers simply looking for a sexploitation film will not understand Silip. He expands on this by writing, "Other reviewers have complained of the long, boring bits in between each scandalous act, completely missing the point," and he explains that unlike many films of its genre, Silip delivers its message "in small-scale epic fashion, with a lyric beauty that's hard to argue against. Using the desert-like scenery to maximum effect, nearly every shot is beautiful to look at, fostering a meditative, sweaty atmosphere that's truly unique." He goes on to praise the cinematography and the simultaneous themes that play out in the film and summarizes "While the women-are-the-root-of-all-evil message is ultimately distasteful, the truths exposed, and the path we're lead down in getting there, consists of quite a sumptuous, sensuous journey."