Over four decades later, Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975) holds up as a tale of a city mostly unwilling to provide opportunities for its poorest inhabitants.
Julio Maldiaga (played by Bembol Roco), a man from the province, struggles to make ends meet in Manila, switching from one source of income to the next while dealing with all misfortunes that Manila presents his way. What keeps him going is the desire to reunite with an old flame, Ligaya, who moved to the city from their province in search of a better life.
Similar to Filipino film classics of the era, Lino Brocka's masterpiece does not hesitate portraying Manila as irredeemable--a city filled with exploited construction workers, prostitutes left with no choice but to sell their soul, thriving informal settlers, and people above their socioeconomic class who get to dictate how the world works. The angst against the Marcos-era social order is evident here, as Brocka shows the demonstrations in the streets, as well as anti-government slogans in the walls, as a backdrop of the decaying Philippine capital.
The final scene proves little has changed since Brocka's work came to life on the big screen in 1975. The Julio Maldiagas of Manila in the 21st century are often than not presented with the same demise: a literal dead end, with all the wrong decisions a person and Manila made for himself coming back to bite him.
