MarioO’Hara’s“Demons”(PangarapngPuso,2000)isaboutapairofyounglovers,Nena(MatetdeLeon)andJose(AlexAlano),doingtheirbesttoliveandloveinanincreasinglyhostileworld.Nena(alovelychildgrownintolovelyyoungwoman,givingasurprisinglylovelyperformance)isfromarichfamilyintheNegrosprovincesthatownsaseriesoffishponds;Joseisfromoneofmanypoorfamiliescommissionedtocleanandoperatethosefishponds.Thefilmtracestheirrelationshipasitdevelopsthroughtheyears,fromchildhoodintoadulthood,fromprosperityintodeeprecession,fromatimeofpeaceintoatimeofviolentpoliticalturmoil.                                     NenaandJose’sreactionstothatturmoiliscomplex–steepedalltheirlivesinNegrosmythology,theygraduallyequatepresent-dayrebelsandcorruptarmyofficerswiththedemonsandmonstersoftheiryouth.Theyreplyinanumberofways,eachaccordingtohisorhernature:throughpoliticalprotest,civilactivism,armedrebellion,eventhecompositionandrecitationofsome(verybeautiful)Filipinopoetry.