This was my first Diaz around 18 months ago and I did not exactly respond to it well, its elongated poetry recitations with long contemplative gaps did nothing to get me going at that stage of my life, quickly shedding its soporific tendencies in favour of something that might be a little more inviting without the opportunity cost of losing six hours for merely seeking it out. 18 months onward Lav Diaz is still seldom an easy pill to take, he's sedative and hypnotic and numbing and arduous and formidable. But also extraordinarily rewarding if you can skip to the cadence of his unusual six legged frame. Having seen all available Diaz films now it's certainly an easier dance than it was 18 months ago, though it might never be easy, and that might just be part of its seductive charm.