Vice Ganda is a cultural phenomenon in the Philippines. A TV host fronting daily variety show It’s Showtime, which has been pulling in top ratings for 15 years. A film star whose comedies have been topping the Christmas box office annually since 2010. A performer whose concerts pack out venues in the Philippines and North America. And an openly gay star in a Roman Catholic majority country that has not legalized same-sex marriage or heterosexual divorce.

And yet, with great fame comes great responsibility, not to mention high expectations, and like many artists during the pandemic, Vice decided to take a break and figure out what to do next. That pause led to a pairing with writer-director Jun Robles Lana to make And The Breadwinner Is…, a family drama produced by Star Cinema and Lana’s The IdeaFirst Company, which is also a comedy, but one with a lot more depth and...