‘Mudrasta: Ang Beking Ina!’ REVIEW: Simple at Masayang Pelikula
‘Mudrasta: Ang Beking Ina!’ REVIEW: Simple at Masayang Pelikula
Roderick Paulate as Victor “Becky” Labrador in Mudrasta: Ang Beking Ina! | Still courtesy of CreaZion Studios
NOTE: For English readers, there will be an English translation of the article at the bottom of the page.
Nung una kong nakita yung poster, naiisip ko na ito yung parang siyang masayang bersyon ni Walterina Markova sa Markova: Comfort Gay kahit malayo siya sa istorya ng Mudrasta: Ang Beking Ina. Kita naman kasi yung sa itsura ni Roderick Paulate na kahawig niya si Markova.
Sabagay, iba-iba naman ang karanasan ng dalawang karakter.
Dito sa Mudrasta, si Roderick ay si Victor Labrador. Este, si Becky. Simple lang ang pamumuhay niya kasama ang kanyang masayang pamilya at ang kanyang matalik na kaibigan na si May Anne, na ginagampanan nina Carmi Martin bilang matanda at Awra Briguela bilang bata — hanggang sa nagkainteres siya kay Enrique, na ginagampanan naman ni Tonton Gutierrez. Si Enrique naman, na galing ng Maynila, ay salungat sa buhay ni Becky. Mayaman pero puno ng pighati at lungkot.
Nagmahalan ang dalawa pero nauwi sa sawi ng pag-ibig. Gayumpaman, naging matatag si Becky sa kanyang simpleng pamumuhay hanggang umabot sa kanya ang balita na pumanaw na si Enrique. Dito na magsisimula ang pagbabago sa buhay ni Becky.
Sa labanan ng mana.
Na kahit ibigay kay Becky ang kabuuang mana ni Enrique, hindi magpapatalo ang mga Santillanes na kinabibilangan nina Evita (Ceila Rodriguez), Nicolai (Elmo Magalona) at Andrew (Arkin Magalona).
‘Ika nga, “Not without a fight”.
The Santillanes family in Mudrasta: Ang Beking Ina! | Still courtesy of CreaZion Studios
Sa kabila ng mga pag-aalipusta, naging matatag si Becky sa piling ng kanyang bagong “pamilya” — ika nga sa mga eksena sa mga teleserye, dadaan muna sa paghihirap sa piling nina Evita at Nicolai upang siya ay tanggapin ng lubos at maging karapat-dapat na maging parte ng pamilyang ito.
Naging katulong siya at “cook” sa bahay, pumasok bilang intern sa kumpanya ng mga Santillanes, hanggang sa nag-vlog ng kanyang araw-araw na pamumuhay, na magbabago din ng pananaw sa buhay ang mga magkakapatid na sina Nicolai at Andrew — pati na rin si Evita.
Wakas.
Habang naging masaya naman yung naging takbo ng kuwento, hindi ko maiwasan na maisip na parang may kulang sa kabuuan ng pelikula. Kumbaga, hilaw pa. Hanggang sa lumabas ako ng sinehan na iinisip ko na parang “yun na yun?” Parang ako nanood ng teleserye sa malaking screen. Mula sa takbo ng istorya hanggang sa masayang pagwakas, parang akong bumalik sa mga panahon na nakikinood ako ng mga teleserye sa bahay ng lola ko.
Becky and Tonton Gutierrez as Enrique Santillanes in Mudrasta: Ang Beking Ina! | Still courtesy of CreaZion Studios
Sa kabila ng aking puna sa pelikulang ito pagdating sa aspeto ng konsepto, storya at produksyon, hinihikayat ko pa rin sa madla na suportahan ang pelikulang Pilipino. Nagustuhan ko naman din yung aspekto ng pagmamahalan ng parehong kasarian, na ang pagtibok ng puso ay walang pinipili. Natuwa naman din ako dun sa sayawan sa wakas ng pelikula, na parang sa mga pelikula noong dekada nobenta na may sayawan ang mga karakter sa tabing dagat.
Nga pala mga huling kong dada: Ang pinaka-kontrabida sa pelikulang ito ay ang alipores ni Evita na si Badette (Odette Khan), na kahit nagbago ang kanyang amo, andyan pa din yung kanyang inggit. Napaisip din ako na kung magkaroon man ng sequel, baka si Badette ang maghasik ng gulo sa buong pamilya Santillanes. Isa pa, ano kaya laman nung kanyang empanada na bumuhay kay Becky at siyang nagpatibok kay Enrique at nagpabago sa katauhan ni Evita?
Sa madaling salita, ang Mudrasta ay isang simpleng pelikula na puwedeng panoorin ng buong pamilya. At pagdating sa kwentong ito, hindi mo kailangan mag-isip para makakuha ng kasiyahan o kahalagahan. Basta makiramdam ka sa saya at sa danas nina Becky at iba pang mga tauhan - parang sa totoong buhay ika nga - hindi patas at puno ng mga pagsubok.
ENGLISH:
When I first saw the poster, I was expecting this to be a campier and a happier version of Markova: Comfort Gay minus the historical context given Roderick Paulate’s homage to Walterina. One can see that Roderick Paulate's appearance resembles Markova's.
In fact, the two characters have very different experiences.
Here in Mudrasta, Roderick plays Victor Labrador. Also known as Becky. She lives a quiet and simple but a happy one. Becky has a best friend named May Anne, portrayed by Carmi Martin as the older version and Awra Briguela as the younger version — until she becomes interested in Enrique, played by Tonton Gutierrez. Enrique, who is from Manila, is the opposite of Becky’s life. He comes from a wealthy family, but is filled with sorrow and sadness.
They both fall in love but end up in a loveless relationship. However, Becky continues to be resilient and live her life as usual until she receives the news that Enrique has passed away. This is where Becky's life will change, for the better or worse?
In the battle for inheritance.
Even if Becky were given Enrique’s entire inheritance, the Santillanes family — Evita (Celia Rodriguez), Nicolai (Elmo Magalona), and Andrew (Arkin Magalona), of course, just like in real life, would not give up their wealth on a whim.
As they say, "Not without a fight".
Despite being looked down upon, Becky showed resilience with her new "family" — just like in most teleseryes, she first had to go through hardships with Evita and Nicolai so that she would be fully accepted and worthy of being part of this family.
She becomes one of the family’s maids and later a house cook, and even interns at the company run by the Santillanes family, until she begins vlogging her daily life — something that would also change the perspectives of siblings Nicolai and Andrew, as well as Evita.
End.
While the story was filled with joy, I just couldn't help but feel that something was missing from the movie as a whole — that is, it was still raw. Until I left the theater and said to myself, "That was it?” It felt like I was watching a teleserye special, just on the big screen. From the plotline and all the way to its happy ending, there’s this vibe that I used to enjoy watching soap operas with my grandmother at home.
Despite my criticism of this movie when it comes to the overall concept, story, and production, I still encourage the whole audience to support Filipino films. I also liked the aspect of same-sex romantic relationships, where the heart does not choose. I also enjoyed the dance scenes at the end of the film, as it paid homage to most Filipino films of the 1990s, where (almost) all of the characters dance at the beach.
While most people (myself included) consider Evita as the main villain, the actual villain in this movie is actually Evita's personal maid, Badette (Odette Khan), as she remained spiteful throughout. I was thinking that with her change of heart, Badette might plan something evil to break the family’s newfound bond. Also, what is the content of her empanada that provided Becky with her whole livelihood and made Enrique fall in love with, as well as changed Evita’s heart for the better?
In short, Mudrasta is a kind of movie that the whole family can enjoy, and you don’t need to really think about it. Just feel the characters’ ups and downs, just like in the real world — unfair and full of challenges.
Mudrasta: Ang Beking Ina! is now showing in Philippine cinemas nationwide.
