The film is an adaptation of Lualhati Bautista`s prize-winning novel, Dekada `70 which chronicles a middle-class Filipino family who, over the space of a decade, become aware of the political policies that have ultimately led to repression and a state of martial law. Vilma Santos stars as Amanda, who realizes the implications of living within a dictatorship after sorting out the contradictory reactions of her husband and five sons. Julian, her husband, supports his eldest son`s efforts to rail against the government while simultaneously refusing to condone Amanda`s wish to find a job. Her third son (Marvin Augustin) writes illegal political exposes. The fourth (Danilo Barrios) fell victim to a corrupt police department, and her youngest (John W. Sace) is still a boy. Dekada ‘70 received 11 awards and 12 nominations. It was the Philippines’ official entry to the 76th Annual Academy Awards for the Foreign Language Film category.