Amis teenager, Futing, is a city boy who is asked to return to his coastal village one summer to take care of his injured grandpa. There, he meets Lisin, a girl who is visiting the village while following in her absent father’s footsteps. To impress her, Futing begins fishing and gathering. He joins the Pakarongay, the lowest rank in the age hierarchy, and learns the basics such as toasting, respecting and serving the elderly, and guarding the village. Romance begins to blossom between the two when Lisin brings him a homemade lunch box.

A story about an Indigenous youth returning to his ethnic group and discovering who he is, Pakeriran examines questions of self-identity for the new generation. Futing reconnects with his mother culture through participating in the annual Sacepo’ (sea festival) on his grandpa’s behalf. So begins a transformation, overturning his rejection and lack of knowledge of ethnic rituals to physically embrace the Amis’ life philosophy. In the end, when he swims to the Pakeriran Island, his coming of age and rite of passage is complete.

Available Formats: DVD, Blu-ray and DCP