Batch ’81 is a groundbreaking psychological drama directed by Mike de Leon. The film depicts the titular fraternity’s harsh initiation of new batch members, as seen through the eyes of student Sid Lucero, played by Mark Gil in his breakout role. With its depiction of vicious, sustained hazing, the film is both an unflinching study of sadomasochistic college fraternity traditions, and a camp metaphor for life in the Philippines under the Marcos regime. Hailed as one of the greatest Filipino films of all time and now restored in 4K, Batch ’81 originally premiered at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival during the Directors’ Fortnight. Gil’s unsettling performance as the student with a silent, unwavering belief in the fraternity allows the film to pose troubling questions about the profound psychological need for social belonging.