Arturo and his wife, Luz, both work in a printing press. After Luz becomes pregnant, Arturo asks for a raise, but his boss asks him to sign a waiver stating that he is not part of any Labor Union. Soon after, his friends inform him that they are starting a labor union and that they are inviting him to join them. Because of the waiver, he cannot. The factory is closed down, and the hospital where Luz is confined is too expensive. This leads Arturo to pursue a life of crime.
"The title song of the film is the most popular song in the Philippines. It talks about the country and the people's hope for freedom. It was written in the 1930s, during the American occupation, and it became the hymn of the protest movement. The film's objective was to show the movement, it was a need dictated by the upcoming elections. […] I chose to make a melodrama because I didn't want to make a propaganda film. I had to make use of the dramatic structure of social melodramas so that the people who didn't pay attention to the political message could appreciate the film." (L. Brocka)
Biography
film director
Lino Brocka
Lino Brocka (Pilar,
Sorgoson, Filippine,
1939-Quezon City, Filippine, 1991) was an eminent film, television, and
stage
director who blazed the path for socially oriented Filipino films in
the
seventies. Graduated from Nueva Ecija North High School in 1956 with
six medals
and a scholarship to the University of the Philippines (UP), he entered
pre-law
because his mother wanted him to become an attorney and then president
of the
Philippines.
FILMOGRAFIA
Wanted:
Perfect Mother (1970), Santiago
(1970), Tuborg
sa ginto (Dipped in Gold, 1971), Stardoom
(1971), Lumuha
pati mga angel (1971), Cherry Blossoms (1972),
Caena de amor (1972),
Villa Mirando (1973), Tinimbang ka ngunit
kulang (You are
Weighed in the Bilance but are Found, 1974), Tatlo,
dalawa, isa (Three,
Two, One, 1975), Maynila: Sa mga kuko ng liwanag (Manila:
in the
Claws of Light, 1975), Lunes, Martes, Miyerkules,
Huwebes, Biyernes,
Sabado, Linggo (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
Sunday, 1976), Insiang (1976), Tahan
na, Empoy, tahan (Stop
Crying Little Boy, 1977), Inay (1977), Tatay
kong nanay, Ang (1978),
Rubia servos (1978), Gumising ka, Maruja (Wake
Up, Maruja,
1978), Hayop sa hayop (1978), Jaguar (1979),
Ina, kapatid, anak
(Mother, Sister, Daughter, 1979), Ina ka ng anak mo
(1979), Init (1979),
Nakaw na pag-ibig (1980), Bona (1980),
Angela Markado (1980),
Hello, Young Lovers (1981), Dalaga si
misis, binata si mister (1981),
Cover Girls (1981), Caught in the Act (1981),
Burgis (1981),
Mother Dear (1982), In Dis Corner (1982),
Cain at Abel (1982),
Stranger in Paradise (1983), PX (1984),
Miguelito (id.,
1984), Hot Property (1984), Bayan
ko: Kapit sa patalim (Bayan
Ko: My Own Country, 1984), Adultery (1984),
Pasan ko ang daigdig (1987),
Maging akin ka lamang (1987), Jack and
Jill sa Amerika (1988), Macho
Dancer (1988), Natutulog ba ang diyos (1989),
Tatlong mukha ng
pag-ibig (ep. Katumbas ng kahapon, mm,
1989), Orapronobis (Lotta
per la libertà, 1989), Babangon
ako’t dudurugin kita (1989), Hahamakin
lahat (1990), Gumapang ka sa lusak (Dirty
Affair, 1990), Ama…bakit
mo ako pinabayaan? (1990), Sa cabila ng lahat (1991),
Kislap sa
dilim (1991), Biktima (1991).