''Dekada '70'' () is a 2002 Filipino

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

film directed by Chito S. Roño from a story and screenplay written by Lualhati Bautista, based on her 1983 novel of the same name. Set in the Philippines during the period of

martial law under Ferdinand Marcos At 7:15 p.m. on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the Philippines under martial law, stating he had done so in response to the "communist threat" posed by the newly founded Communist Part ...

, the film follows the struggles of the middle-class Bartolome family spanning several years. It stars Vilma Santos and

Christopher De Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...

as parents raising five sons amidst the tense political background. Their sons are played by

Piolo Pascual Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino actor, model, singer, television host, comedian and film producer. Pascual began a career in 1993 after landing a bit role in the film ''The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help ...

, Carlos Agassi, Marvin Agustin, Danilo Barrios, and John Wayne Sace. Produced and distributed by Star Cinema upon its initial premiere at the 28th Metro Manila Film Festival, the film is now restored in high-definition by the

ABS-CBN Film Archives The ABS-CBN Film Archives, also called ABS-CBN Archives, is a state-of-the-art Archive, film archive in the Philippines located at the basement of ELJ Communications Center on Eugenio Lopez Drive, Quezon City, Diliman, Quezon City. It is a memb ...

and Central Digital Lab, and on January 1, 2024, was released on the distributing company's YouTube channel.

Plot

Incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is re-elected for a second term, amidst anti-war protests during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. At dinner, brothers Julian "Jules" Bartolome Jr. and Isagani "Gani" Bartolome, speak about the upcoming Junior-Senior Prom. Amanda, the mother of five children (including Jules & Gani) of the middle-class Bartolome family residing in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, finds a new

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

job, but her husband, Julián Bartolome, Sr, infuriatingly opposes her decision. As they leave for home at night after a prom, the Bartolomes get stuck in traffic due to a protest with effigy burning near the Legislative Building. In 1971, Jules and his best friend Willy, participate in the

student protest Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academi ...

at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

. At the same time, Emmanuel "Em" Bartolome begins writing illegal exposés and other kinds of banned literature. Julián becomes furious when he discovers Jules and Willy's involvement, angrily explaining the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus and the disappearance of student leader Charlie del Rosario. Gani discloses his intention to apply for a position in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, arguing that employment with the US government offers a substantial salary and numerous benefits. Despite Jules furiously criticizing his brother for a perceived lack of patriotism, Julián endorses the idea. Later, amidst another protest against Marcos, the youngest sibling, Benjamin "Bingo" Bartolome, retrieves a fallen kite, which Amanda discovers to be crafted from pages of the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

newspaper '' Ang Bayan''. Julián learns of Jules' activism when he stumbles upon their insurgent leaflets. Marcos declares Martial law in 1972. Civilians were ordered to remove any form of political slogans opposing Marcos under fear of imprisonment of anyone suspected to be a sympathizer of Communism. Gani accidentally impregnates his girlfriend, Evelyn, and much to her initial distress, was forced by her father into marrying her. The family learns of the death of Jules' best friend Willy by the hands of Metrocom for staying up past the curfew; Jules later reveals his plan to travel to Bicol and join the

New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...

(NPA) despite his mother's opposition. In the mid-70's, Gani leaves for the United States, and Evelyn, after giving birth to a girl, also leaves the Bartolome's for her parents. Em also leaves for the

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is a nuclear power plant on the Bataan Peninsula, west of Manila, Philippines. Completed but never fueled, it is located on a government reservation at Napot Point in Barangay Nagbalayong, Morong, Bata ...

to write an article about the protesters there. Jules, after leaving for a year, briefly returns home to treat his friend, René, of his injuries to avoid the police before leaving once more. During the Christmas season, Jules calls Amanda over after two months of not returning, warning that the NPA has been infiltrated, and requests that all of his anti-government pamphlets and Em's written articles be destroyed to save his family from possible persecution. As they do so, they are met by a large group of carolers. The Bartolome residence later falls into a raid by Metrocom, having been tipped off by René, but the family successfully lie to the authorities. However, the family received a call notifying that Jules was caught and imprisoned. Motivated by her son's experience of torture upon visiting him, Amanda sends an appeal to a non-governmental organization that reaches out families of victims of human rights abuse. After family and friends celebrate Christmas with Jules in prison, Amanda and Julián discover that their younger son, Jason, didn't return home, and was only discovered by Em at the morgue that he was brutally murdered after he was initially imprisoned for a drug charge. Jules, aware of Jason's death, attends his younger brother's wake while escorted by the police, and breaks down in tears. Frustrated by her helplessness and lack of self-worth, she threatens to separate from Julian as they blame one another for Jason's death. However, before she could do so, Bingo notifies his mother that Jules is released from prison. The family set up an reunion dinner with Jules' new wife, Mara, Gani's wife Evelyn, and their respective children also in attendance. Jules announces he will be returning to the communist insurgency and Julián wishes him well. As they depart, Julián and Amanda tearfully reconcile, before they later attend a play about the revolution written by Em as they sing the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

with the entire family raising a clenched fist. In 1983, opposition leader

Ninoy Aquino Benigno "Ninoy" Simeón Aquino Jr., (, ; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac (1963–1967). Aquino was the husban ...

is assassinated upon his return from exile in the United States. The Bartolome family attends his wake at the Santo Domingo Church in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

and the film ends as Amanda delivers her monologue to the viewers, while she joins with a large group of activists at the Post Office Building.

Cast

* Vilma Santos as Amanda Bartolome - a mother of the Bartolomes with five young sons and wife of Julián Bartolome Sr. *

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...

as Julián Bartolome, Sr. - the head of the

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

Bartolome family and husband of Amanda Bartolome. *

as Julian "Jules" Bartolome Jr. - the first son of the Bartolomes. Jericho Rosales was the first choice to play Jules but had to drop out of the role in order to focus on Pangako Sa 'Yo. * Carlos Agassi as Isagani "Gani" Bartolome - the second child of the Bartolomes, who works in the

to provide for his family, despite Jules' opposition. * Marvin Agustin as Emmanuel "Em" Bartolome - the third child of the Bartolomes who writes banned literature whilst maintaining a mischievous, carefree outward personality. * Danilo Barrios as Jason Bartolome - the fourth child of the Bartolomes. * John Wayne Sace as Benjamin "Bingo" Bartolome - the fifth child and youngest of all the five brothers. * Kris Aquino – a student leader. * Ana Capri as Mara - the wife of Jules Bartolome, and an NPA fighter. * Dimples Romana as Evelyn - the girlfriend and later wife of Isagani Bartolome. * Jhong Hilario as Willy - Jules' best friend and activist. He was killed by torturers in 1972. * Carlo Muñoz as René - Jules' comrade who is revealed to be Metrocom's

informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...

. * Tirso Cruz III as Evelyn's father - an unnamed character who pressures Gani and the Bartolome family into a

shotgun wedding A shotgun wedding is a wedding arranged in response to pregnancy resulting from premarital sex. The phrase comes from the figurative imagining that the relatives of the pregnant bride threaten the reluctant male groom with a shotgun in order to ...

after hearing of his daughter's stay with the former. * Orestes Ojeda as Dr. Rodrigo. * Marianne de la Riva as Evelyn's mother - an unnamed character who is shown sobbing after Evelyn's return to the household, and is a witness to the shotgun wedding by the unnamed father of Evelyn. * Manjo del Mundo as Metrocom Police * Cacai Bautista as a rallyist (uncredited)

Reception

Accolades

;FAP/Luna Awards * Best Actress – Vilma Santos * Best Supporting Actor – Piolo Pascual * Best Production Design ;Gawad TANGLAW * Best Film * Best Director – Chito Roño * Best Actress – Vilma Santos * Best Actor – Christopher de Leon * Best Supporting Actor – Piolo Pascual ;Young Critics Circle * Best Film * Best Director – Chito Roño * Best Screenplay – Lualhati Bautista * Best Performers – Vilma Santos and Piolo Pascual * Best Sound ;25th Catholic Mass Media Awards * Best Film ;Cinema One's RAVE Awards * Best Film * Best Performance – Vilma Santos ;Gawad Pasado * Best Film * Best Director – Chito Roño * Best Screenplay – Lualhati Bautista * Best Actress – Vilma Santos * Best Actor – Christopher de Leon * Best Supporting Actor – Piolo Pascual ;CineManila International Film Festival * Best Actress – Vilma Santos * Netpack Film Awardee – Dekada '70

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dekada '70 (Film) Star Cinema drama films Philippine historical drama films 2000s historical drama films 2002 films 2002 drama films 2000s Philippine films Filipino-language films Films set in the 1970s 1970s in the Philippines Films about Filipino families Films based on Philippine novels Films directed by Chito S. Roño Films with screenplays by Lualhati Bautista Films scored by Nonong Buencamino Films about the Ferdinand Marcos presidency Star Cinema films