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Ma' Rosa

2016 1h 50m Drama List
83% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Rosa's children will do anything to bail their parents out of jail after they are busted by corrupt cops.

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Ma' Rosa

Critics Reviews

View All (18) Critics Reviews
Geoff Andrew Time Out There's nothing profoundly original here, but there's no denying the atmosphere of squalid authenticity. Rated: 3/5 May 20, 2016 Full Review Mike D'Angelo AV Club Even Tangerine, the movie famously shot on an iPhone 5s, looks better. Not that a sharper image would much improve this chaotic portrait of police corruption. Rated: C May 19, 2016 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Ma'Rosa is made with control and clarity, a narrative purpose which is held on to despite an apparently aimless docu-style, and a clear sense of jeopardy. Rated: 3/5 May 18, 2016 Full Review Jorge Ignacio Castillo The Canadian Crew Ma' Rosa just looks chaotic, but has structural clarity and purpose. Rated: 4/5 Jan 28, 2020 Full Review Oggs Cruz Rappler The horror of Ma' Rosa lies in its ability to unflinchingly portray a shocking universe. It tops the cruelties already dealt with by a society forced to accept economic inequity. Jul 17, 2019 Full Review Nick Evan-Cook One Room With A View Shot entirely on location, Ma' Rosa is so authentic you'll feel like you've spent a night in Manila: though you won't necessarily have enjoyed it. Rated: 3/5 Apr 3, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (6) audience reviews
Dean C Interesting story and premise but I couldn't get past the shaky camera which made it barely watchable. Had to turn away many times to stop the motion sickness. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/13/23 Full Review Leonardo J I really liked it! It's pretty simple, it just shows police corruption in the Philippines, nevertheless there's something special about it: The way the message is communicated, the family union, the corruption itself. Also, it made think about my own country because os so many similarities. Well done! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Overrated. I didn't like it. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member It looks poorly made and amateurish, unable to offer any actual insight into its protagonist and dragging with many long takes of people walking from one place to another instead of cutting straight to what matters, and it is more obvious and predictable than it thinks it is. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member It is Brillante Mendoza's strong suit-a social realist drama set in a squalid and congested area in Manila, his hand-held camera giving us an uncensored and intimate view of a depressing truth. And in Ma'Rosa, Mendoza focuses on police corruption, taking us to the backroom where the bribe takes place. The titular Ma'Rosa (Jaclyn Jose) is a hardened mother of four who owns a tiny convenience store in a poor urban neighborhood. In her cramped and impoverished world, every day is a regular cycle of debts, loans, keeping her store, gambling-and peddling crystal meth on the side. Her husband Nestor (Julio Diaz) snorts ice in the upstairs of their dingy shack, and it's a very much accepted lifestyle. Rosa's routine of survival is interrupted when one rainy night the police raids her home and arrests her and her stoned husband for illegal possession of prohibited drugs. And so we watch how the police conduct their illegal proceedings. Ma'Rosa is not a thriller. There is no suspense, no action, and the drama is contained. It is a chamber piece with no antagonists because the main players are not blameless, including Rosa herself. It is simply a realistic depiction of a seedy, greedy, lawless world where there is no distinction between the police and the criminals, that at one point the film even metaphorically conveyed it when the authorities threw Nestor a police shirt to wear. But Ma'Rosa is gripping and intense nonetheless. In fact, the lack of action and excitement takes us to a higher state of horror. Because what we are witnessing is the ordinariness of evil, how it is commonplace, indifferent, and totally normal. The corrupt policemen are not dangerous here; they do not inflict fear. They are simply greedy men, conducting their regular business of extortion. You can even feel their joy and relief when they hit a jackpot and are able to afford a case of beer and roasted chicken. They are deprived men, just like their victims. Seeking temporary comfort and luxury in an easy money-making scheme. The horror here is in the trivial details; how the corrupt officers snack on street food, feast on a pricey dinner, relaxed in a back office where Rosa and Nestor are detained unharmed. They have civilian assistants plucked from the streets-a gay urchin promoted to errand boy and an overenthusiastic balut vendor, like it's all just a regular day in the workplace. The immorality is so accepted and deeply rooted that it is scary. And as Mark Anthony Fernandez is buttoning his police uniform like a costume, it is tragic. Justice has become an illusion. Ma'Rosa feels deliciously authentic. The actors, even the extras, are more natural here compared to his previous works, not camera- or script-conscious, which makes it all the more engrossing. Diaz effortlessly sways from stoned,to clueless, to hopeful, to worried, that he is the film's understated comic relief (apart from the errand boy, Dahlia). Jose deserves her Cannes Best Actress trophy as Rosa, exhibiting restrained stress, quiet acceptance of a hard-knock life, strong and resilient. A mother, wife, and a small-time drug pusher juggling her criminal and household activities on a daily basis. If she has even the tiniest of guilt, she keeps it from you. Especially when she deploys her children to solicit "bail money." Jose completely transforms into Rosa, and in her final scene, when her dam of emotions cracks, your heart goes to this raw, tortured soul. Ma'Rosa, which earned a standing ovation at this year's Cannes, is a triumph. Mendoza, with a screenplay from Troy Espiritu, skillfully and earnestly showcases-through a very appropriate, beautiful, and highly effective cinema verite- a harrowing reality, with touches of dark comedy. The story is unapologetic, frank in its portrayal of societal ills, which makes it all the more haunting. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Instead of watching Alice in Wonderland 2, The Purge 2, Independence Day 2, Finding Nemo 2, or Ice Age 6573 this weekend, give Ma' Rosa a nod. You might learn a thing or two. :) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ma' Rosa

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Cast & Crew

Who We Are Now 96% 71% Who We Are Now TRAILER for Who We Are Now Verdict 100% % Verdict Life and Nothing More 93% 83% Life and Nothing More TRAILER for Life and Nothing More Hunter Gatherer 96% 58% Hunter Gatherer Beauty Mark 100% 92% Beauty Mark Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Rosa's children will do anything to bail their parents out of jail after they are busted by corrupt cops.
Director
Brillante Mendoza
Producer
Larry Castillo
Screenwriter
Troy Espiritu
Production Co
Centerstage Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Filipino
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 24, 2018
Runtime
1h 50m
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