Manila By Night (1980) - Ishmael Bernal

"People nowadays are opportunities".  A stark, sprawling portrait of Manila that draws a strict dichotomy between what individuals say and what they do. An amorphous plot exhibits the socially ingrained nature of the big city, where deception is commonplace, born out of desperation or conditioning due, in part, to its diasporic origins. Perpetual stagnation, souls adrift, a film ripe with melodrama that doesn't quite form a cohesive experience but one which exudes a panoply of emotions that never shows disdain for its depraved characters, in part recognizing they are victims of their environment and the larger socio-political forces at play that make deception a necessity for survival. Somehow, in the end, the film, despite its proclivities towards portraying the stark conditions, remains hopeful that individuals can forge their own, virtuous path.  Also, a worthy addition to "all men are pigs" canon lol