Film still of Ma' Rosa © Center Stage Productions
Ma’Rosa, another tense portrayal of Manila for Brillante Mendoza
Now a cornerstone in the cinematographic landscape of South-East Asia, director Brillante Mendoza is back In Competition at Cannes for the first time since his Best Director Award for Kinatay in 2009. This year he is running for the Palme d’or with Ma’Rosa, a social drama wrenched from the streets of Manila.
A heaving shoulder camera, an almost documentary-like realism, and an uncompromising portrayal of daily survival in the slums of Manila, from the very first images of Ma'Rosa, you can see the radical and innovative style of this filmmaker, who made his debut in international advertising.
The realism may make for uncomfortable viewing at times, but it takes us closer to the story of Rosa and Nestor, a couple of grocers – played by Jaclyn Rosa and Julio Diaz – who supplement their income by illegally selling narcotics. When, one day, they are caught in a raid by corrupt police, it is up to their four children to buy back their freedom. It’s difficult not to think back to the discomfort felt seven years ago after the unbearable chain of events in Kinatay, another depiction of the Philippine capital's tough criminal underworld.
Prolific and socially engaged, this leading light of independent Philippine film has made 12 feature films in the past ten years, presenting Taklub for the Certain Regard in 2015 and Serbis In Competition in 2008. Film after film, he lays bare the ordinary tragedy of life affected by poverty, corruption and violence, and is involved in developing cinema among young people in his country. A personal investment that is starting to bear its fruit, since this year's Short Films Competition includes the first film by Raymund Ribay Guttierez, one of the students in his workshops.
