Shot entirely on location over eight months, often in dangerous conditions, Wild’s film is far from being a dry study of the complex ins and outs of Filipino politics. Instead it follows five characters through the post-Marcos world: two NPA guerillas, one of them a priest and the other the political leader of the shadow government; the original founder of the NPA, known as Kummander Dante, who is testing Aquino’s commitment to democracy by running for the Senate; a rabidly right-wing radio broadcaster who spreads anti-Communist propaganda for a vigilante group; and a priest-activist in Manila who has since been forced into exile.

The result is a fascinating insight into a dangerous world of political activism where the stakes are much higher than they are in the West. Wild's sympathies are unashamedly with the various Leftist forces: this is a committed personal view rather than ‘balanced’ reportage. But this approach clearly unlocked doors which otherwise would have been shut in her face. Particularly astonishing is an agonised debate within guerilla ranks about whether to execute an informer who has endangered many supportive villagers. The NPA deserve much credit for exposing this most terrible of dilemmas. Doing so cost them dearly, one of their members died protecting the film’s crew during a skirmish with the Army.