Filmed on location in Philippines’ biggest city, this sensitive film explores one family’s experience of leaving the countryside to eek out a living in the bustling metropolis — a journey that takes them to the edges of morality.
Unable to get funding for the project, British director Sean Ellis re-mortgaged his house and went to the Phillippines on the lookout for great local crew and acting talent to help make his idea work. The result is an intensely thrilling film with an unusually raw realism at its heart.
★★★★ Metro Manila is a terrific piece of socially aware world cinema laced with tense, gripping crime-thriller action beats. Recommended. EMPIRE
★★★★ One of the the finest, under-the-radar surprises of the year. THE GUARDIAN
★★★★ Sean Ellis’s Philippines-set film is crisply written and beautifully performed. THE TELEGRAPH
★★★★ A fascinating juxtaposition of familiar story beats and unfamiliar backdrop…an underdog drama that feels as authentic as it is original. TOTAL FILM