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.