Credit: Netflix

Balaraw: Blood Island is a Filipino folk-horror series on Netflix about a young daughter’s search for her missing mother, and it hooks you from the first episode.

It opens with a quick backstory that sets the central mystery in motion, with Sabina repeatedly haunted by the dreams of a man trapped on an island. Although he tries to escape the local islanders, the community constantly drag him back to the cage. While Sabina’s mother, Rebecca, is unsettled by the dreams, she sets out on the morning of her daughter’s first day as a medical intern and never returns.

Despite assigning several private investigators and spending a fortune, Sabina never gets any closer to finding her mother. Three years later, a PI shows up with footage of Rebecca at a bus stop, seemingly leaving for a coastal town. He also tells Sabina that local law enforcement knew it all, but erased the records, suggesting an elaborate cover-up.

In the immediate aftermath, Sabina and police captain Arturo become embroiled in a tense confrontation, with the latter convinced that Rebecca doesn’t intend to be found. But is that enough to stop Rebecca? Far from it! She breaks into the police officer’s house to retrieve her mother’s file, which suggests her mother may have headed to Babang Yawa all those years ago. So, do they ultimately reunite?

Do Sabina and Rebecca reunite in Balaraw: Blood Island?

After finding her mother’s files in Balaraw: Blood Island, Sabina tries to embark on the journey alone and follow Rebecca’s trail. However, her girlfriend, Bulak, joins and refuses to let her venture into the unknown land on her own. Once they reach the town, they struggle to convince anyone to take them to Babang Yawa, largely due to the ominous stories about the infamous place. But to everyone’s surprise, Arturo arrives and negotiates a deal with a sailor.

Although Bulak and Arturo are on her side, the water? Not so much. Briefly after setting sail, a violent storm engulfs the ship, and the passengers wash ashore on an island, where Sabina gets separated from the rest. Upon exploring the island, she stumbles upon the same cage from her dreams where multiple prisoners are held. While her fate is no different, she’s still taken to the island’s leader, Ramon Cardomas, who reveals to have known Rebecca.

Ramon reveals that Rebecca has set out on a mission to find a source for clean drinking water. So, until she returns, Sabina is welcome to stay at his family’s house.

On the other hand, Bulak and Arturo stumble upon an old woman who warns them about the locals. As a result, they go deep into the woods to take shelter in a cave. Although Ramon promises Sabina that his community will bring her friends to the village if they find them, Bulak and Arturo are attacked once they are found. As Sabina realises Ramon may have been lying the entire time, she tries to set out to find Bulak and Arturo. However, Ramon insists on accompanying her with his guards and his brothers.

Soon enough, a hooded warrior in the woods, who turns out to be Rebecca, rescues Bulak and Arturo. She reveals that she came to the island to save her brother, Vedasto, the man from her daughter’s nightmares. At the same time, Sabina’s time in the forest convinces her that the island is alive as she hears strange voices in her head. But it’s confirmed that something is definitely off about the island when one of Ramon’s men is fatally injured, and the islanders prepare a ceremony for the departed, only to cannibalise his body.

While Sabina is more determined to leave the island and ensure everyone’s safe escape, Rebecca plans the same thing with a boat she hid three years ago. But first, Rebecca needs to find Sabina and rescue her, which leads to Bulak and Arturo’s capture. However, Sabina escapes the clutches of the Cardomas with the help of a servant, and once in the forest, she finally reunites with Rebecca.