Metro Manilla

About the movie

Seeking a brighter future in megacity Manila, Oscar Ramirez and his family flee their impoverished life in the rice fields of the northern Philippines. But the capital’s bustling intensity quickly overwhelms them, and they fall prey to the rampant manipulations of its hardened locals. Oscar catches a lucky break when he’s offered steady work for an armored truck company and gregarious senior officer Ong takes him under his wing. Soon, though, the reality of his work’s mortality rate and the murky motives of his new partner force Oscar to confront the perils he faces in his new job and life.
Academy Award- and BAFTA-nominated director Sean Ellis’s return vividly captures the desperation of life amongst the squalid Manila slums. After writing and directing three successful short films, Ellis expanded his Academy Award winning short, Cashback, into the feature film of the same name. His psychological thriller The Broken premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. Metro Manila is Ellis’s third feature.
“Poetic, honest and at times almost upsettingly real” – The Guardian
“Smartly structured and atmospheric crime film” – Screendaily

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