The Remotes has arrived in the US with its official trailer, marking a pivotal moment for Manila-based filmmaker John Torres’ latest project. The sci-fi mystery thriller, which premiered at both the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, now enters global conversation with its first full English-language release. Directed by Torres — known for films like Todo todo teros, Taon noong ako'y anak sa labas, and People Power Bombshell: The Diary of Vietnam Rose, the film is co-written by Dodo Dayao and produced by Sherad Sanchez, Shireen Seno, and Torres himself. No theatrical or streaming release date has been announced, but the trailer’s rollout confirms momentum is building. Starring Alchris Galura, Gabby Padilla, Julia Richards, and Enchong Dee, the film follows a grieving detective one year after his wife died in a mysterious auto accident linked to a navigation app. His investigation leads him to two sisters and a city where unseen forces shape choices, memories, and identities. The narrative unfolds through a drifting, impressionistic lens, expanding and compressing time as the protagonist confronts not just the case, but his own sorrow. According to Torres, the film is “about how longing can become infrastructure. How grief stifles us while technology listens in & automates our choices in life.” It’s framed as a response to the Philippines’ surveillance state and the legacy of Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. A political undercurrent woven into the fabric of its haunting visuals. The Film Stage described it as a “visually striking form of neo-noir that combines sci-fi & documentary into a new stylistic blueprint,” while NYFF called it a “thought-provoking inquiry into the larger forces, political, technological. That conspire to control our bodies and identities.” The tone is moody, meditative, and deeply unsettling. This isn’t a fast-paced thriller. It’s slow cinema with teeth. And though it hasn’t yet secured a distributor or release window, the trailer’s release signals that the film is no longer just a festival entry, it’s entering the international spotlight. The next move? Wait. Watch. See what happens when a city learns to listen back.