Nievales, Euricka Marthy V.

“ANAK” by star cinema 8-Socrates G17

ANAK by: Rory Quintos MOVIE REVIEW

Vilma Santos, Claudine Barretto, Joel Torre, and Baron Geisler star in Rory Quintos'
2000 Filipino family drama The Child (Anak), which also stars Joel Torre and Baron
Geisler. The movie received high marks from critics. It was the Philippines' entry for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 73rd Academy Awards, however
it was not selected as a nominee. ABS-CBN Film Archives has restored the movie. On
May 22, 2015, the restored version made its television debut on Cinema One, the movie
channel of ABS-CBN.

Rory B. Quintos, a Filipino director of television and movies, was born on October 31,
1962. She received her degree in broadcasting from the University of the Philippines,
Diliman. She started her career in television, spending years in turn working as a
production assistant, production manager, floor director, and associate producer before
eventually transitioning to film, first as an assistant director and later as a TV and film
director.

At the age of nine, Rosa Vilma Santos also known as Josie in the film "anak" made her
acting debut in Trudis liit (1963). She won her first FAMAS for best child actress in the
same film. She had a son named Luis Philip while she was married to Eduardo
Manzano. She refers to her son as "Lucky" because his birth increased the popularity of
her film career. It makes sense why her acting abilities are so flawless. The only actress
to get the Best Actress Urian Award three times in a row for her roles in Sister Stella L.
(1983), Broken Marriage (1983), and Relaton (1982). (1984).Despite having films by the
late Lino Brocka, an accomplished filmmaker, she has never received a single award for
best actress.

Cherry Pie Sison Picache, a Filipino actress, was born on May 27, 1970. She has been
on television, in mainstream and independent films, and in print and television
commercials for Palmolive, Camay, and Eskinol. As Rose Ponce, the cunning and
tyrannical cousin of Alicia in Hiram na Mukha, Pangarap na Bituin as Alberta Tuazon,
the cunning and domineering Alberta, and Iisa Pa Lamang as Isadora, the cunning and
greedy wife of Victor Castellejos who kills many characters in that series, Cherry Pie is
notable for her antagonist roles. The figure that Picache played became into one of the
most recognizable villains in Philippine history. After thereafter, she appeared in other
television series as loving mothers in various roles.

Esmeralda Diaz Tuazon, sometimes known as Amy Austria-Ventura in the acting world,
is a Filipino actress who works in film and television. One of the leading actresses in
Filipino cinema, Austria is widely regarded. The Philippine Star ranked Austria among
the 15 greatest actresses of all time. She has won a FAMAS Award, two Gawad Urian
Awards, three FAP Awards, and four MMFF Awards, including three for best actress.
Austria was admitted to the Metro Manila Film Festival's Hall of Fame in 2019.
Esmeralda Tuazon, one of six children born to a poor household in 1961, was the
second-oldest. She sold chewing gum to support the family. She went to Rajah Soliman
High School to study. She was introduced to the producer Baby Martinez of MBM
Productions through common friend

A Filipino actor and producer by the name of José Rizalino de León Torre (born June
19, 1961), he is best known for his roles in the biographical drama José Rizal (1998),
the crime thriller On the Job (2013), and the historical drama Amigo (2010), the latter of
which earned him the Best Actor Award at the 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film
Festival. Torre's love for performing began when he joined the Masskara theatrical
company in Bacolod at the age of seven, which was directed by Peque Gallaga. He was
the youngest person among the 13 others in the group. Afterwards, in 1978, he
appeared in a minor role in Bacolod-filmed Lino Brocka's Gumising ka, Maruja.

Actress, singer, and businesswoman Claudine Margaret Castelo Barretto (Carla) hails
from the Philippines. Barretto, who is frequently referred to as "The Optimal Star" by
several media publications, has won three FAMAS Awards, including two for Best
Actress and a German Moreno Youth Achievement Award.

Baron Geisler on the other hand, In addition to receiving the Best Actor prize at the 4th
Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival on July 20, 2008, Geisler also won the 2005
PMPC Best Solo Performance of an Actor award for his performance in Maalaala Mo
Kaya ("Will You Remember?"). Critics, viewers, and other actors have all praised
Geisler for his work in the 2022 Netflix movie Doll House.

Lastly Daday, the kiddo that stayed in my mind after watching the film because of her
acting skills whose name in real life is Sheila Mae Alvero.

In this film, a mother of three named Vilma Santos makes the decision to work as a
domestic helper (DH) abroad in order to offer her children the life she desires for them.
She accepted a position as a nanny for an affluent couple in Hong Kong for a number of
years. She is aware that earning more money in Hong Kong will allow her to live
comfortably. Putting up with the difficulties and being separated from her loved ones in
order to provide them a wonderful life with a decent education and huge goals. Being
away from her family for work is difficult for her because she has to miss six years of
their lives, as well as their birthdays, Christmas, and even the start of the new year. But,
she has no option but to put up with this because she wants to give her child the life she
always wanted.

Due to work, she was unable to see her daughter on her birthday and was unable to
visit her husband's grave in the Philippines. Her boss also arrived before she could
greet her daughter. For the benefit of her child, she must make sacrifices. But her kids
don't embrace their mother with wide arms. The older child, Carla, tries nothing to hide
her anger at what she perceives as Josie's heartless abandonment of her family. The
younger children, Daday and Michael, are wary around Josie, and while they eventually
heal their relationship with their mother. Carla openly questions Josie's authority,
starting meeting men her mother wouldn't approve of, displays her developing sexuality,
starts aborting children, and uses drugs. The director put an enormous amount of effort
into portraying the industrious mother who moved abroad to provide for their children
and save money for a better future.
Let’s also talk about Mercy, known as Cherry Pie Picache. She went back to the
philippines earlier and what she came back to is a family who is messed up. Her
husband being addicted to alcohol and her sons being on the wrong direction but she
just lets them do their thing because she said that even if she cried blood nothing will
change and i felt bad for her because she has to deal with them for we don’t know how
many years.

The director made this to give appreciation to the mothers out there who put all their
effort to save money abroad but when they come back to their family they make them
feel that what they did is not enough and blame her for every occasion or events that
she missed because she’s not there physically. Being away from their family weakens
them, but they are forced to work because living is difficult these days and finding work
that pays well is difficult as well. The director also shows us the reality of having a
family, the responsibilities of being a parent, dealing with naughty little kids. This film is
an eye opening to all the parents and also the young people to the problems that we're
facing in this world, it's not always a happy time but we have to experience some
hardships in life and learn how to solve it.

It gives us a view of how the overseas Filipino workers live in other countries and how
cruel the treatment of foreigners to our people. Also, the employees are suffering
mentally and emotionally knowing that they are a long way from their families and
cannot always visit them, give them hugs, or take notice of the changes their children
make as they enter adolescence. I find it hard to believe that over 2 million Filipinos
work abroad to support their families since they are unable to find employment that pays
well in our own nation due to the rampant corruption that is taking place.

Because of how well Vilma Santos performed, the audience was moved to tears by her
portrayal of the role. She represented those women who is not receiving the attention
and recognition they deserved,The majority of us refer to them as "just" mothers or
women, but Vilma, also known as Josie, changed their perception by demonstrating
how difficult it is to be a mother dealing with numerous issues while abroad knowing
how upset her children are because she left them in the country to pursue her career.
Despite being separated from her child, she thinks about how upset the youngster is
and how helpless she feels. not being able to explain to them why she must leave them.

I feel terrible for the mothers and ladies who have no option since the "guy" is unable to
carry out his duties as a father and execute his job properly. Josie, however, is a strong
lady who decided to fight for her children's future and for them to have a decent home
and food. I find it incomprehensible that those nearest to her child are unable to explain
why people must venture outside of their comfort zones in order to work and provide for
their well-being.

Going home to their family after being away for so long and not realizing how much had
changed included her oldest Carla being emotionally distant, leading her to hang out
with guys and smoke, her middle child Michael failing two of his subjects and having his
scholarship taken away, and her youngest Daday not being sure if her mother still loves
her because she wasn't around when she was growing up. I just find it hard in her
situation because I can't imagine going through the same thing as she experienced,
when she returned to Manila and her child, Carla, was acting so distant from her, I
simply wanted to hug her and tell her that she had done enough. I can see why Carla
behaved that way towards her mother, but I don't think that's a good enough excuse to
confront your mother in person, as she is still the one who ensures that you have three
meals a day and provides you with the education you need.
​

“Mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.” —Emily Dickinson

Michael on the second hand hurts me the most because he is academically pressured
because he knows that eve though his mother worked abroad he still have to do well in
school and keep the scholarship that the school gave him but he failed to do it because
he failed two subjects but i can’t blame him because it's not that easy to keep the
“academically smart child” title that everyone around you describes you. Last but not
least, Daday, I sense that she didn't feel that her mother loved her, which led her to do
something that made her mother angry at her, and she told her that the teacher had
said that "if your mother gets angry at you, that is because they love you." Seeing that
scene hurt me because at such a young age she is feeling something that she is not
supposed to feel, but her mother has no choice but to work away from her family and
away from her loved ones.
​

“A mother understands what a child does not say.” —Jewish proverb

When her husband passed away, Carla, the oldest child, has resented her because she
believes her mother doesn't care about Rudolfo, her father. But, Josie has proven her
wrong. Even if you don't express your love to someone vocally, you may still show your
affection for them in other ways. You don't have to explain or apologize for this to other
people. The reason they couldn't communicate with each other, in my opinion, is that
the mother's job prevented them from doing so. She must have been upset with her
mother, but the words that came out of her mouth were not exactly what she intended to
say; rather, her anger and upsetness took control of her speech, preventing them from
understanding one another.

Carla became distant to her mother, she start hanging around with boys who is full of
lust, going to the bars, getting pregnant at such a young age and aborting her child
because shes does not want to bare the responsibility but when she met Brian who is
what we see as the study first and respectful boy carla started to feel the love that she’s
been longing for i don't know how many years, she stopped going out with “boys”
stopped drinking and focused on her family. I feel like that one night conversation with
her mother where they released all their anger towards each other, the words that
they’ve been wanting to say to each other helped them to understand one another, all
those misunderstandings fade away in just want night.

Another problem is that Carla is consuming drugs after her mother came back to the
philippines. We all know that drugs are substances that change a person's mental or
physical state and these may have an impact on how your brain functions, your
emotions, your behavior, your understanding, and your senses. They are therefore
erratic and harmful, particularly for children. In my opinion, we should educate young
people about the harm that drugs can cause to our bodies and minds and teach them
how to make their own decisions without causing harm to others or things. This movie
shows us that not all issues are unsolvable; we can alter them. I know it won't be
simple, but we must do it for the sake of our future. I am in awe of Vilma's love and
compassion for her kids because I had no idea that a mother's love could move
mountains for her kids.

The fear on Carla's face when she saw a man holding an abortion instrument was also
evident. Carla was in the wrong frame of mind when she pushed all the drinks around
her while yelling indignantly, but the folks surrounding her did not seem to care.
Everyone needs to be informed about abortion, the term "abortion" refers to the removal
or evacuation of an embryo or fetus in order to end a pregnancy. Miscarriages, also
known as "spontaneous abortions," are abortions that take place without medical
intervention and affect 30% to 40% of pregnancies.She lost her child that same night as
a result of drinking alcohol and being under stress. Knowing that her child is drinking in
the middle of the night, Josie, a typical Filipino mother, hurries to the bar that Carla's
friend told her about while Michael and Bryan are operating the cab.

Josie demonstrated the kind of motherly love that everyone yearns for. We can see how
talented an actress she is by the solace she gave the viewers, which helped them heal
their inner child. She showed us that a mother can give anything up out of love and a
desire to give us, her children, the best life possible in this world. As she and Carla's
connection was restored, her suffering as an OFW vanished.

Going on, we can see that Michael, the middle child, has feelings for Bernadette, also
known as Jodi Santamaria. He kind of stands in for all teens who have some sort of
admiration for someone and use that person as an example to achieve well and work
hard. He continued to express his unwavering love for Jose despite the years of silence
between them. He also demonstrated how much he values his mother by escorting her
and his brother Daday from the airport. He's usually in the middle, so to me, he
represents a support or a barricade when everything is about to collapse. Just like when
his mother and Carla got into a big fight wherein they get to a point where they threw
stuff to each other releasing all their anger, he just stood there trying to stop the girls
from arguing while protecting his little sister in his arms. I feel like for me, he played the
father role better than their real father.

“Kung alam lang nila hirap na dinanas ko, kung anong klaseng impyerno buhay ko,”
A line that gives a big impact to me. The moment I heard those words coming from her
mouth, my tears began to flow unknowingly. The flashbacks starts to flash on the
screen, showing what really happened to josie while working in Hong Kong. the time
when she’s being locked inside her boss’ house and couldn’t read the letter that Carla
sent when her husband died. She did not attend the burial because her boss forbade
her from returning to the Philippines and threatened to throw away her passport if she
did. When she wasn’t able to hang out with her friends because her boss went out and
locked the gate stopping her from going out and maybe “escape” that small house or for
her, a prison that she can’t escape.She is suffering there, but the people in the
Philippines are unaware of it. They are also unaware of how many meals she skipped in
order to support her family because she decided to keep it a secret from them. While
Carla used up the money to buy alcohols and cigarette.
​
​ “My mother is a walking miracle.” —Leonardo DiCaprio

Overall, this movie was excellent; if I were you, I would gather every box of tissues I had
at home because you would cry uncontrollably. Vilma Santos showed us a perfect
representation of what an actual hero is, a mother, we should consider them as the new
hero in our life because I think there is nothing a loving mother can’t do when we’re
talking about her family. An unconditional love of a mother that every child wants to
experience. Our mothers are our unsung heroes and staunchest allies, but we rarely
express how grateful we are to them.

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else
can take.” —Cardinal Mermillod

References :
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0764298/bio?mode=desktop&ref_=m_ft_dsk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anak_(film)
https://www.shutterfly.com/ideas/mothers-day-quotes/#mom