The purity of first love is pitted against the squalor and corruption found in the slums of Manila which is the setting of this film. Gay, preteen Maxi is slavishly and uncomplainingly devoted to his family of small-time criminals. He cleans house and cooks for them, washes their underwear, mends tattered jeans and, if push comes to shove, covers their tracks so that they will not get caught. His world revolves around them. That is, until he meets Victor, a principled, idealistic and handsome policeman. Maxi befriends Victor who, in inspiring the boy to hope for a better life, earns the ire of Maxi's family. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros is a beautiful, cutting-edge film