▁kill ings ▁( E J K ), ▁especially ▁during ▁the ▁Philipp ine ▁D rug ▁War , ▁were ▁a ▁" very ▁relevant " ▁subject ▁tack led ▁in ▁the ▁film , ▁and ▁shooting ▁in ▁that ▁period ▁would ▁eliminate ▁its ▁significance . ▁The ▁film ▁was ▁photograph ed ▁by ▁Bird shot ▁cinemat ograph er ▁My cko ▁David , ▁whom ▁Red ▁compared ▁favor ably ▁to ▁Roger ▁De ak ins . ▁A est het ically , ▁Red ▁shot ▁the ▁film ▁with ▁the ▁Ar ri ▁Alex a ▁util izing ▁the ▁cinéma ▁vérit é ▁technique , ▁emphas izing ▁mostly ▁hand - h eld ▁camera ▁movements . ▁He ▁pre fers ▁that ▁his ▁films ▁deliver ▁a ▁" strong ▁social ▁comment ary " ▁by ▁using ▁genre , ▁explaining ▁that ▁" It ' s ▁a ▁better ▁way ▁of ▁reaching ▁more ▁people ▁and ▁getting ▁your ▁message ▁across ". ▁Red ▁ins ists ▁that ▁Ne oman ila ▁is ▁de void ▁of ▁any ▁political ▁statement , ▁and ▁he ▁bel ieves ▁that ▁whether ▁the ▁characters ' ▁dec isions ▁are ▁" m oral " ▁is ▁best ▁left ▁for ▁aud ien ces ▁to ▁cont em plate : ▁I ▁guess ▁what ▁makes ▁it ▁different ▁from ▁most ▁E J K - th emed ▁films — and ▁there ' s ▁a ▁lot ▁being ▁done ▁now — is ▁the ▁perspective . ▁It ' s ▁basically ▁about ▁people ▁caught ▁in ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁drug ▁war , ▁literally , ▁because ▁they ' re ▁the ▁middle men . ▁They ' re ▁mor ally ▁ambigu ous . ▁I ' m ▁always ▁interested ▁in ▁that , ▁where ▁you ▁have ▁very