‘Perfumed Nightmare by Kidlat Tahimik’

Kidlat, a young Filipino jeepney driver, dreams of visiting America and Cape Canaveral. His dream seems within reach when an American offers him a job and a chance to travel to France, eventually leading to America. However, in Europe, he faces the harsh realities of modern capitalist society.

Filipino director Kidlat Tahimik’s debut film, Perfumed Nightmare, premiered at the Berlinale in 1977, winning the FIPRESCI prize. Critic John Pym notably described it as “sentimental, astonishing, and quirky,” praising Tahimik’s passion.

Born Eric de Guia in 1942 in Baguio City, Tahimik is known as the godfather of Philippine New Wave cinema. A graduate of the Wharton School, he studied film in Europe under Werner Herzog and directed Perfumed Nightmare, which was released by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope. His 1982 film Who Invented the Yo-yo? Who Invented the Moon Buggy? is seen as a sequel. Tahimik’s works, addressing postcolonialism and neocolonialism, are influential in South American Third Cinema.