''Ma' Rosa'' is a 2016 Filipino

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Brillante Mendoza Brillante Mendoza (; born July 30, 1960), also known as Dante Mendoza, is a Filipino independent filmmaker. Mendoza is known one of the key members associated with the Philippine New Wave. Career Mendoza was born and raised in San Fernando, ...

and written by Troy Espiritu. It was selected to compete for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

at the

2016 Cannes Film Festival The 69th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian filmmaker George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller was the president of the jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and ...

. At Cannes,

Jaclyn Jose Mary Jane Santa Ana Guck (October 21, 1963 – March 2, 2024 ), known professionally as Jaclyn Jose, was a Filipino actress. Known for her penetrating eyes and antagonistic roles in film and soap operas, she was a recipient of various accolades ...

won the award for Best Actress. It was selected as the Filipino entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

89th Academy Awards The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2016 in film, films of 2016, and took place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Californ ...

but it was not nominated.

Plot

Rosa (Jaclyn Jose) is married to Nestor (Julio Diaz), with whom she has three children. Rosa's family runs a

sari-sari store A sari-sari store, anglicized as neighborhood sundry store, is a convenience store found in the Philippines. The word ''sari-sari'' is Tagalog meaning "variety" or "sundry". Such stores occupy an important economic and social location in a F ...

in a neighborhood in Manila. The income from the small convenience store business alone isn't enough to meet the family's daily needs, so illegal drugs, particularly "ice" or

crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational or performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity d ...

are also sold at Rosa's store. One day, police officers arrest Rosa and Nestor for selling drugs and ask them for "bail money" or a bribe for the couple's release. Rosa's children, left on their own to deal with the struggles of daily life, find a way to free their detained parents.

Cast

as Rosa Reyes * Julio Diaz as Nestor Reyes *

Baron Geisler Baron Frederick von Geisler (; born June 5, 1982) is a Filipino actor and entrepreneur of German-American descent. One of the most controversial actors in the Philippines, Geisler's career has been characterized by critical and popular acclaim ...

as Sumpay * Jomari Angeles as Erwin Reyes *

Neil Ryan Sese Neil Ryan Sese is a Filipino actor. Sese is best known for portraying Asval in the 2016 version of ''Encantadia''. Background An only child, he grew up in Lucena City, Quezon, where his mother, Rosalyn Sese, took charge of his upbringing, enr ...

as Olivarez *

Mercedes Cabral Maria Mercedes Porte Cabral (born August 10, 1986) is a Filipino actress. Known for her roles in arthouse and independent films, she has appeared in numerous international productions. Cabral has received a selection of accolades, including a ...

as Linda *

Andi Eigenmann Andrea Nicole Guck Eigenmann (; born June 25, 1990), known professionally as Andi Eigenmann, is a Filipino former actress, model, and social media influencer. Early life Descent and family Andrea Nicole Guck Eigenmann is the daughter of actors ...

as Raquel Reyes *

Mark Anthony Fernandez Mark Anthony Lacsamana Fernandez (born January 18, 1979) is a Filipino actor. He is the son of actor Rudy Fernandez and actress-politician Alma Moreno. Career Fernandez first rose to prominence when he was once a former member of one of the ...

as Castor *

Felix Roco Teodoro Felix Artadi Roco (born April 12, 1989, in Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding isl ...

as Jackson Reyes *

Mon Confiado Ramon Veroy Confiado (born March 19, 1968), professionally known as Mon Confiado, is a Filipino character actor, stage (theatre), theater actor and businessman who has appeared in both mainstream and independent films. He is the son of late vet ...

as Sanchez *

Maria Isabel Lopez Maria Isabel Pagunsan Lopez-Melrod (born 14 September 1958) is a Filipino actress and beauty pageant titleholder. Lopez won the Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1982 and represented the Philippines in the 31st Miss Universe Pageant in Lima, Peru. ...

as Tilde * Kristoffer King as Jomar

Production

Director Brillante Mendoza decided to make the film to tackle the issue of small-scale drug selling in the Philippines, which he says is happening in the country, and described the situation as alarming. Mendoza noted that the concept of corruption, a subject of the film, appeals to a worldwide audience because it is a global issue, affecting many countries on varying scales. ''Ma' Rosa'' was originally titled ''Palit Ulo''. The film was shot in

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

during the

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...

of 2015 and was supported by the French distributor firm, Film Distribution.

Critical reception

The film holds 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Maggie Lee of

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

reviewed the film and said "Boasting a simple, coherent plot shot with real-time, handheld verismo, it’s a work of understated confidence that will not disappoint his festival acolytes, but probably won’t win many new converts".

Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

stated that "''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".

Accolades

Meme

During the final scene, Jaclyn Jose's character is seen eating

fish balls Fish balls are balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep-fried. Similar in composition to fishcake, fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi, salt, and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour, corn, or potato star ...

while tearing up. This scene has become an iconic meme in Philippine internet culture, referencing “petsa de peligro” — the period when one is in financial distress before their next salary.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ma Rosa 2016 films 2016 drama films Philippine drama films Films directed by Brillante Mendoza Films scored by Teresa Barrozo Films about poverty Films about the illegal drug trade Films set in Metro Manila Films shot in Metro Manila Filipino-language films