A toro is a live sex show that is staged in deserted theaters and sleazy backrooms of Manila for a gaping audience. It is usually performed by men and women forced to earn a living at any cost. Out of this milieu comes director Jose Javier Reyes' brilliant depiction of moral void and emotional atrophy.

Unlike previous films on the sex industry of the Philippines, TORO presents its thesis through the filters of a sex worker, without the usual self-pity pathos. The result is a stunning narrative that provokes the audience with its candor. The graphic sex acts are stripped of their sensuality. Humans become desensitized bodies doing routine acts. Carnal lust is doused and reduced to banality. After all these years of showing off his tricks in front of faceless voyeurs, the torero is jaded and unapologetic.

The SFIAAFF is pleased to present the Director's Cut, which will never have a theatrical release in the Philippines. The film's studio has issued a sanitized version (sans controversial title) for its mainstream run, to comply with the Philippines' movie ratings board. Ultimately, the film is not about good or evil. Unlike the government censors, Reyes does not impose judgment on the sex workers or their acts. This film is not about what is wrong or right, but about how the dichotomy is really ambiguous.