Myle Angelo U.

Calina BSESS 1-1N Contemporary World

Who is Metro Manila in the film “Metro Manila”?

Who is Metro Manila in the film "Metro Manila' by Sean Ellis? Metro Manila is a
drama/thriller film about the life of Oscar and his family which migrated from province to Manila
hoping to escape poverty and have a better life. Now, going back to the question, who is Metro
Manila in the film? We must first know how Metro Manila is illustrated in the film.

From the start of the film, Metro Manila is described as the place of hopes and dreams
where people can start over, find a job and build a stable life from a scratch. The metropolis is
also described as beautiful and feels as if it is heaven due to its scenery. But, despite its
admirable descriptions, it's also clear in the film that it has its own downside which shows the
duality of the city. The city itself also reeks of different crimes done to be able to survive the
cruel art of living, robbery, hold-ups, frauds, done out of desperation to climb up the ladder and
escape poverty. This is clearly depicted in the film, one example is the final act Oscar did to
save his family from poverty, in which he stole the key for the money box and molded it in a
necklace before sacrificing his life so that it would be carried by the courier to his wife. Just like
in the story of Alfred Santos, when caught in a desperate situation, people will always likely end
up with a desperate decision. The root of desperation is money, which is clearly seen in the film
that money became a major necessity to live in the contemporary world.

So in characteristics, Metro Manila just like any other person, has its good and bad side.
In the film, the bad side is mostly depicted but it is done out of desperation to live, out of
desperation to reach their hopes and dreams. In conclusion, Metro Manila in the film is not just
Oscar but all of the people living in the metropolis itself. Thus, Metro Manila is every people
living in it because they are the ones living in it, the ones that represent who Metro Manila is and
the ones that defined what Metro Manila is.