A woman struggling to make a better life for her family finds that her efforts have caused a rift between her and her children in this downbeat family drama. Josie (Vilma Santos) is a mother of three from the Philippines who took a job in Hong Kong, working as a nanny for a wealthy couple for several years. Josie knew she could make far more money in Hong Kong than she could at home, but she also had qualms about how this would effect her children, especially when her husband died not long after she left. When Josie returns home, she has gifts for everyone and has saved a large percentage of her salary, which she plans to use to start a business; but her children don't welcome their mother with open arms. The younger kids, Daday (Sheila May Alvero) and Michael (Baron Geisler), are guarded around Josie, and while in time they are able to mend their relationship with their mother, the oldest, Carla (Claudine Barretto) does nothing to disguise her resentment for what she sees as a callous abandonment of her family. Carla openly challenges Josie's authority, starts dating boys she knows her mother would not approve of, flaunts her burgeoning sexuality, and begins using drugs. Anak received its American premiere at the 2001 San Francisco Asian-American Film Festival.