Ma’ Rosa
Description
In the Philippines, no one trusts the police. Ma’ Rosa, the latest film by internationally acclaimed Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, tells the story of an ordinary family who try to make ends meet by selling small amounts of “ice” (crystal meth). Set up by a customer, the parents are arrested and taken to the police station. Thus begins a harrowing race against the clock, as their children try to find the money to bribe corrupt police into releasing the couple. The drama unfolds in what feels like real time, in a gritty social realist style aided by the incredibly intimate cinematography of Odyssey Flores. Lead actress Jaclyn Jose gives the performance of a lifetime as the detained mother and was awarded the Best Actress award at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Over 6,000 people have been killed in the Philippines since the election of President Rodrigo Duterte, who campaigned on a promise to kill thousands of drug offenders. Though Ma’ Rosa was completed shortly before Duterte was elected, it shows in chilling detail the consequences of how corruption in a country’s institutions can destroy the lives of everyday people. –Joel Shepard
Brillante Mendoza won Best Director at Cannes Film Festival for his film Kinatay in 2009. The year before, his film Serbis was nominated for the Palme d’Or award. His debut feature The Masseur won the Golden Leopard Award at the 2005 Locarno International Film Festival. More recently, the French government decorated Mendoza with the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres. Mendoza is the founder of Centerstage Productions, an independent film production house with a mission of reimagining Filipino cinema by producing meaningful and relevant films.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/207678852?autoplay=1Film Details
Language Tagalog
Year 2016
Runtime 110
Country Philippines
Director Brillante Ma Mendoza
Producer Loreto Larry Castillo
Writer Troy Espiritu
Editor Diego Marx Dobles
Cinematographer Odyssey Flores
Music Maria Teresa Barrozo
Cast Jaclyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Andi Eigenmann