Metro Manila (2013)

Metro Manila (2013)

A heartbreaking and distressing family's attempt at a better life in the bustling city of Manila

The Very Best

8.2

Movie

Philippines, United Kingdom
English, Tagalog
Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
2013
SEAN ELLIS
Althea Vega, Ana Abad-Santos, John Arcilla
111 min

What it's about

Looking for a brighter future in metropolitan Manila, Oscar Ramirez and his family leave their miserable life in the rice terraces of Banaue, in the northern Philippines. In the sweltering capital, where all kind of perils lurk in every corner, Oscar catches a lucky break when he is offered a steady work for an armored truck company and the senior officer Ong takes him under his wing.

The take

Oscar, his wife Teresa, and their young children move from the rural Philippines to the city, hoping for a better life. Immediately, they struggle to survive in the harsh and unforgiving Metro Manila. Through shaky close-ups, shifting moods, and shots of bustling streets, the film captures the poverty, violence, and desperation in the daily of the city. Actors Jake Macapagal and Althea Vega excellently portray the subtleties of constant suffering, leading the tumultuous journey through a cutthroat metropolis. As the drama shifts to a crime thriller, it never loses its footing highlighting the severe link between poverty and crime. 

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