Sapul na sapul ang aming mga puso

Allan Diones Review of INANG YAYA in Abante Tonite

Napakasimple ng kuwento ng pelikulang Inang Yaya na nagawa na noon sa mga pelikula at napakaraming soap opera at drama anthologies sa telebisyon kaya akala namin ay ‘one of those’ tearjerkers lang ito nang panoorin namin sa press preview.
Hindi namin akalain na sa kasimplehang ‘yon ng istorya ay maaantig nito nang husto ang aming damdamin.
Si Norma (Maricel Soriano) ay naninilbihan bilang yaya ng batang si Louise (Erika Oreta). Kapwa working parents ang Mommy May (Sunshine Cruz) at Daddy Noel (Zoren Legaspi) ni Louise kaya ang palagi nitong kasama ay si Yaya Norma, na napakalapit sa bata at halos nanay na kung ituring nito.
Si Norma ay may sariling anak, si Ruby (Tala Santos) na kaedad ni Louise. Sa probinsiya nakatira si Ruby kasama ang kanyang Lola Tersing (Marita Zobel) at tuwing bakasyon lang ito nadadalaw ni Norma.
Nang pumanaw ang lola ni Ruby, napilitan si Norma na dalhin sa Maynila ang anak at patirahin din ito sa bahay ng kanyang mga amo.
Nang magpasya ang kanyang mga amo na manirahan sa ibang bansa, kailangang mamili si Norma kung sasama siya upang huwag malayo sa kanyang mahal na alaga o mananatili siya rito para maging ina sa kanyang pinakamamahal na anak.
Sino ang pipiliin ni Norma — si Ruby o si Louise?
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Makabago, makatotohanan at ngayon na ngayon ang Inang Yaya na feature film debut ng baguhang direktor na si Pablo Biglang-awa at sinulat ni Veronica Velasco (na co-director ng pelikula).
Pinatunayan ng dalawang bagitong direktor na ito na hindi kailangan ng malaking budget o ng mamahaling special effects para makalikha ng isang makabuluhang produkto. Mahihiya ang ibang beteranong direktor kina Pablo at Veronica sa galing nilang mag-motivate ng kanilang mga artista at humugot ng makatotohanang pagganap mula sa mga ito. Maging sa aspetong teknikal ay kapuri-puri ang pelikula at pulido sa bawat anggulo.
Tama ang desisyon ng Unitel na kumuha ng mga bagong dugo na bibigyan ng pagkakataon na gumawa ng pelikula dahil sa mga nakaraang produksyon nila ay ang indie digifilm na Nasaan Si Francis? (2006) lang ang nagustuhan namin, bukod sa initial venture nila noon na American Adobo (2001). Ngayon ay numero uno na sa listahan namin ang Inang Yaya.
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Makaka-relate ang maraming Pinoy sa Inang Yaya, lalo na ‘yung mga lumaking may tagapag-alaga at nakagisnang ‘pangalawang ina’ sa katauhan ng kanilang mga butihing yaya.
Nagustuhan namin ang karakter nina Sunshine at Zoren bilang modernong mga amo na mababait at hindi na iba ang turing sa yaya ng kanilang anak (hindi ‘yung stereotype na malulupit at matapobre).
Wala kaming itulak-kabigin sa dalawang batang babae na tampok sa pelikula. Swak na swak sa kanilang karakter sina Tala at Erika, na napili mula sa napakaraming bagets na nag-audition.
Natural na natural si Tala bilang poor kid pero street-smart na si Ruby, at very lovable si Erika bilang sosy but sweet rich kid na si Louise.
Hanep ang mga eksena ng dalawang bagets at animo’y hindi sila umaarte. Deserving silang pareho na bigyan ng award for Best Child Actress.
Maging ang mga ekstrang bata sa movie ay agaw-eksena, lalo na ‘yung dalawang mean girls na ang babagets pa ay ang gagaling nang mang-okray!
Standout din si Ms. Liza Lorena bilang Lola Toots, ang mahadera at matapobreng lola ni Louise. Kasuklam-suklam ang karakter niya pero may change of heart siya in the end, kaya pinaluha niya rin kami nang husto.
Effortless si Ms. Liza at pasok siya sa listahan namin ng Best Supporting performances sa taong ito.
Pero ang tunay na puso at kaluluwa ng Inang Yaya ay ang bidang si Ms. Maricel Soriano (na isa rin sa mga producer nito).
Lutang na lutang ang pagiging tunay na aktres ni Marya sa pelikulang ito. Tila nagbalik ang ‘rawness’ ng kanyang pagganap at nawala ang kanyang ‘mannered’ at ‘gigil’ acting.
Makadurog-puso ang mga simpleng nuances niya at hindi si Maricel ang nakita namin sa screen kundi ang kanyang yaya karakter.
Hindi ino-OA ang kadramahan kaya hindi ito lumabas na katsipang melodrama.
Maraming eksena na sapul na sapul ang puso namin at tahimik lang kaming nanonood pero tuluy-tuloy ang pagdaloy ng aming masaganang luha.
Sa katunayan ay gusto na namin agad itong matapos dahil sikip na sikip na ang dibdib namin. Pero pagkatapos ng screening ay parang ang gaan ng pakiramdam dahil ang sarap-sarap lumuha!
Isa ito sa best performances ni Maricel kundi man best performance ever ng kanyang buong career.
Bago namin ito napanood ay si Gina Pareño ang Best Actress bet namin (para sa Kubrador) so far this year, pero binago ‘yon ni Maricel.
Para sa amin ay ito na ang panahon para siya’y maka-grandslam!

'A.'

Film Development Council of the Philippines
CINEMA EVALUATION BOARD
Summation of CEB members’ comments on
INANG YAYA
Unitel Pictures

INANG YAYA tells a very simple story. A single mother lives away from her very young daughter to work as a nanny of another little girl. When circumstances allow the three of them to live in the same house, the nanny realizes that she hardly knows her own daughter and that her heart is even torn between the two girls. What could easily have been just a mushy melodrama becomes, in the hands of scriptwriter Veronica Velasco and her co-director Pablo Biglang-awa, a finely crafted film that is both deeply moving and very intelligent.

It is a tearjerker that effectively does what it’s suppose to do – jerk tears without being cloying. The crisp and clear cinematography, with mostly close-ups and tight shots, compels the viewer to feel the various complex emotions of the film. But the film, too, has enough restraint to allow its audience to reflect on the complexities of domestic relationships and the oppressiveness of social prejudice.

The film, of course, also draws its power from its well-thought out characters as well as their portrayal. Maricel Soriano, true to form, delivers an excellent and highly nuanced performance as Norma. Tala Santos is credible as the feisty but caring Ruby, and so is Erika Oreta as the bratty but sweet Louise. And Liza Lorena, as a haughty grandmother who learns how to care for someone she is determined to hate, shows how a true actress can shine even in a minor role.

INANG YAYA shows how a simple material, when treated with complexity and depth, can turn into an excellent film. The Cinema Evaluation Board, therefore, gives the film a grade of 'A.'

INANG YAYA Advanced Screening on Nov.24

To pay tribute to the positive contributions of domestic workers in helping raise the Filipino family, the Visayan Forum in cooperation with Unitel will sponsor the advanced screening of “Inang Yaya” on November 24, 2006, 7 p.m. at the SM Megamall at Cinema 10.

For ticket inquiries and reservations please call:

Visayan Forum Foundation Office
631.8101 loc 7401/7421
Ticket Price: P150.00

Ready with your hankies?

STARBYTES By Butch Francisco
The Philippine Star 11/16/2006

The tried and tested formula to come up with a tearjerker is to make orphans out of the child characters, beat the hell out of them and subject them to all sorts of physical abuse and torture.

Unitel’s Inang Yaya tries the reverse by showing love, compassion and teaching kids all the right values and succeeds in coming up with one of the most effective tearjerkers in the history of local movies.

Directed by Pablo Biglang-awa Jr. and Veronica Velasco (she is also credited for the screenplay), Inang Yaya casts Maricel Soriano as an all-around helper in the home of young upper middle-class couple Zoren Legaspi and Sunshine Cruz. Her main responsibility, however, is to play nanny to her young ward, Erika Oreta.

The big irony of Maricel’s life in the story is actually the fact that while she is able to care for another couple’s kid, she is unable to attend to her own daughter (Tala Santos) in the province. Looking after her child is grandmother Marita Zobel, who tries to instill discipline in the young girl.

Unfortunately, the grandmother passes away and Maricel is forced to bring her daughter to Manila to live with her in the home of her employers. Now, she is torn between her own flesh and blood and the child she had learned to love as her own.

The plot of Inang Yaya isn’t all that strange because it happens to practically all domestic helpers working abroad. That’s the cruel joke the economic crisis has played on these poor women who have to leave their families and go elsewhere to make a living.

Luckily for Maricel, she ends up with kindhearted employers who treat her like family – and this also happens in real life because for all of the world’s nastiness, there are still a lot of good people on this earth.

By showing what is positive, Inang Yaya as a tearjerker works – and works in wonderful ways. Whoever thought that could be possible – given our culture where media highlights only what is negative because this is what sells on TV and even in the papers?

I personally like the characters here because they are generally sympathetic – basically good people who show kindness and concern to others. But at the same time, they are not black-and-white cardboard characters who are labeled good and bad. Liza Lorena’s character as the matriarch, for instance, has a condescending attitude toward servants. But she is no monster and, in fact, has the ability to see, detect and appreciate the pureness in people’s intentions. Maricel Soriano, on the other hand, is the ever-reliable helper, but at the same time also has a mean streak in her which she displays when she starts wishing to have this one opportunity to push Liza Lorena "down the cliff." Of course, she isn’t serious when she says this, but we see here that her screen character is no picture of perfection either.

What is perfect is her portrayal of the helper, who has to make a lot of sacrifices to serve both her family (in terms of finances) and her masters, who are her source of finances. She has no big dramatic highlights here and yet she delivers in this film one of the best performances of her career.

It is also a relief to see Liza Lorena rescued from the horror genre where her great talent was wasted. (If it’s any consolation to her, even Hollywood legend Bette Davis went through this exact phase.) In Inang Yaya, Liza Lorena is again at her shining best and her character stands out not only because it is written well, but also because she is able to flesh it out in a style uniquely her own (think Oro, Plata, Mata and other memorable Liza Lorena performances: Miguelito, Ang Batang Rebelde, La Vida Rosa, etc.).

Also noteworthy are the performances of the other supporting cast members: Zoren Legaspi, Sunshine Cruz and Marita Zobel, who excels in all her scenes (her best is the bilo-bilo sequence – you’ll know what I mean when you see it).

The two girls – Tala Santos and Erika Oreta – are also acting gems and they complement each other in the film.

Tala, as the street-smart and spunky one, is perfect for the role and is very credible in her scenes where she has to display feistiness. Erika, fragile and sheltered, has the makings of a fine actress. You see this even in scenes where she only has to stay in the background and supposedly does not do anything. But she knows how to interact with her eyes and body movements.

Of course, the movie’s two directors obviously also know what they are doing because here is an excellent film product that recently received an A grade from the Cinema Evaluation Board. Inang Yaya is a simple, yet powerful tearjerker that is never cloying. If you intend to watch this movie – and hope you do – don’t forget to bring your hankies because you’ll need them... oh, plenty of them.

In my case, I’ve done all my crying as a baby and I don’t cry easily. Inang Yaya, however, still drove me to near tears. But it was more at the realization that the local movie industry is still capable of coming up with good films that espouse positive values that can make life better for all of us in this world. Inang Yaya is the best example.

Inang Yaya: GRADED A by CEB!

Our producer, Tony Gloria of Unitel Pictures is proud to announce that Inang Yaya garnered a GRADE A rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board. Inang Yaya joins Unitel Pictures' exclusive roster of GRADE A films: Crying Ladies (2003), Santa Santita (2004) and La Visa Loca (2005).

Inang Yaya and Kasambahay

11.02.06 / Engine Room

Film has the power to move people. It encapsulates reality in a certain way that makes us realize our incapacities. Film has the power to open our minds to things that we unconciously forget, aspects of our lives that we leave unattended or just simply disregard.

This afternoon, a group of NGO workers from the VF (Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc./www.visayanforum.org) headed by its President, Ma. Cecilia Flores-Oebanda watched Inang Yaya. VF works for the welfare of marginalized migrants, especially those working in the invisible and informal sectors, like domestic workers and trafficked women and children. It is most known for its pioneering and documented work on domestic workers in the Philippines, especially in pushing for the Domestic Workers’ Bill or the Batas KASAMBAHAY.

It is heartwarming to learn that they found our film an ideal vehicle to promote their cause. They found aspects of the film very timely and engaging. Their enthusiasm and interest in spreading their cause through Inang Yaya was touching. They wanted to sponsor Inang Yaya’s November 24 screening and even offered the mobilization of their organization for our Cebu and Davao premieres.

It is quite satisfying to know that our work for Inang Yaya has the potential to go beyond the industry’s measure of success. People say that it is important for first time directors to make sure that their first movie should be a hit. I must admit that I always hoped for box-office success even to the point of hard-selling. I am hoping also that it could earn enough to sustain Unitel Pictures future film projects.

The VF group who watched the film have spoken about the film’s potential to move people, touch lives and make us better human beings. VF call their Inang Yayas, KASAMBAHAYS. We are glad that Ms. Cecile made the effort to get in touch with us after seeing Inang Yaya’s MTV trailer at a theater screening Scorsese’s The Departed.

At the end of Inang Yaya’s screening life, box-office sales just become an statistic but with partnerships with cause-oriented groups like VF hopefully, through this film we can reach out to more people beyond the cinemas into their homes, lives and hearts, and further the cause of our millions of KASAMBAHAYS here and abroad.

INANG YAYA Full Trailer