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| I Love You, Mama I Love You, Papa
In the more instructive instances of Philippine melodrama, the family serves as the microcosm of the nation. At the center of I Love You, Mama I Love You, Papa (Regal Films) is Flora (Nora Aunor), a barrio girl who falls in love with Rommel (Christopher de Leon), the landowner's son. She attends to his every need and bears his child. For any actress, portraying the said role could be onerous. Not even a talent of reliable range can get away with it using the customary histrionics. Flora's character requires not only intuition but an understanding of the strains of human relationships in a setting beset by social class. Nora pursues it well, going beyond the comfortable limits and traipsing along the quivery alleys of the trade. Her performance is both touching and forceful, with a serene madness no other Filipino actress can muster. The choice frees her from the defiles of glamour. With Flora, Nora is vulnerable in her clamor, potent in her silence. In that house blessing party, Flora gets so intimidated by the hugeness of the place and was shown at a loss on how to react in front of Rommel's parents and their guests. It could have easily been a comical situation but instead, it pinches our hearts because we see the wide gap between the rich and poor in the scene. In I Love You, Mama, Nora plays one of her most complex roles. Flora takes to task the plight of a woman in love. How can she love someone so infantile? Why must she compromise her feelings in lieu of gratitude? Why does she long for her child's affection? Flora reveals the answers in scenes where she negotiates the various aspects of love, first with Rommel, where she willingly played the part of the fool, second with Gilbert (Joel Torre), her faithful suitor and third to her son, Ian (Ian Kristoffer de Leon). I Love You, Mama offers an unseen Nora spectrum. Frenzied in her first encounter with Rommel, rapturous with his touch and kiss, and inconsolable at the crash of maternal sentiment upon realizing that her son has been taken away and that she cannot do anything about it. We see the tenuous boundary of affectation not just through Nora's eyes but through her body and its gestures.
I Love You, Mama initially starts like a komiks novel, contriving the relationship between Flora and Rommel. It is an unlikely attraction at first, but inevitably torrid. With a screenplay whose plot stagnates and a direction that drowns in a misguided sense of melodrama, I Love You, Mama could've remained stranded in the realm of good intentions. It is Aunor who ends up outsmarting the very film rendered puerile by its filmmakers' inability to pursue the premise of their material to the fullest. Because of her, Christopher de Leon proves to be inevitable and Joel Torre's valiant effort becomes necessary. Nora and Christopher's real-life son Ian Kristoffer de Leon turns in a performance that shifts from endearing to hopeful and from confusion to enlightenment. Providing formidable support is Armida Siguion-Reyna's sense of urgency, which although brief is still a touchstone of thespic endurance. Caridad Sanchez gives a subtle and sometimes understated performance. There are many silent moments in her performance that shout inner tension making it all the more outstanding. It has to be mentioned that Jackie Lou Blanco as Agnes, Rommel's girlfriend is splendid and effective. I Love You, Mama's ultimate achievement is its ability to calibrate commensurate dramatic impulse in varying situations and dispositions within the family. There is nostalgia for traditional roles and the realization that ties are contingent but nevertheless intimate.
Direction: Maryo J. de los Reyes
Screenplay: Jake Tordesillas
Cinematography: Rody Lacap
Music: Willy Cruz
Editing: Edgardo Vinarao
Production Design: Elmer Manapul
Produced By: Regal Films
Release Date: May 29, 1986
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4:37 AM
Hi Jojo!
It's been years since I last saw this film. Regal Presents days pa. I'm glad to have seen it again and in a very apt time.
I totally agree with the very first scenes of the film that it felt like it came from a komiks material. The perennial theme in pinoy films of 'langit at lupa ang agwat'.
I like how Nora's Flora persona shifted from being a naive barrio lass to a strong-willed woman. I dig her line in the movie when she tells Christopher's Rommel that she already knows what sh*t means so sh*t to him haha.
Yes, Jackie Lou's role as Agnes is commendable.
6:30 AM
Hello Dennis!
I loved the first few sequences. I just wish it wasn't rushed. Some of the best scenes were in the film's first half.
Her role as Flora is one of the most complex characters Nora has ever portrayed. There's that important detail of the purse which she always carried with her. In the scene outside the courtroom, she hits Rommel with the purse to express her disappointment. Flora's lack of sophistication albeit her success in business was key to the character's truthfulness. You would really believe her when she tells Rommel "Alam ko na kung anong ibig sabihin ng sh*t, kaya sh*t mo!"
Jackie Lou on the other hand chose to underplay her role which made her more effective. With seasoned performers in the cast she would have been easily forgotten...
9:02 AM
Excellent review. I should check this one out. I originally thought that it's just a minor Nora movie but in your view it's one of her most complex. It now piqued my interest.
9:23 AM
I'm glad you feel that way Ron... Many dismissed the movie as an ordinary family drama, maybe so but Nora's performance makes the film worth watching.
10:22 AM
Yes, it's a bit rushed nga considering their interaction in the very first scenes were interesting.
Had to admit that Jojo that I consider this as just one of Nora films that will passed eventually. But having viewed it much later in years is a different story. Yes, the purse!
Tama, underplay is the word. Kung iba siguro 'yun, katakot-takot na akting na ang ginawa. What were some of Jackie Lou's movies she acted that you really like?
11:26 AM
Nora's former manager told me once that she cannot understand why she agreed to make this movie. To which I disagreed. I had to explain in length why I consider her performance here as one of her most complex portrayals. In the end, nakumbinsi ko din siya....
I Love You, Mama is a movie that grows on you every time na pinapanood mo. That's probably why mas na-appreciate ko ang akting niya sa pelikula.
As for Jackie Lou, pinaka nagustuhan ko siya sa Misis Mo, Misis Ko. I was disappointed after watching Kung Aagawin Mo Ang Lahat Sa Akin lalo na after her exemplary performance in Misis Mo at siyempre dito sa I Love You, Mama...
9:37 PM
I appreciate the film now too unlike the first time I saw it.
I saw Misis Mo, Misis Ko also in video. Nagcompliment ang role niya sa character ni Ricky Davao, they were convincing in their parts. I enjoyed that movie. Sayang at sa ibang cable provider ipinapalabas.
4:30 AM
Same here Dennis... Mas na-appreciate ko ang I Love You, Mama after revisiting it again for this review...
Sa PBO ba ipinapalabas ang Misis Mo? It's my most favorite film ni Carlitos. Jackie Lou and Ricky's performances made it a lot more interesting...
10:28 PM
CinemaOne just aired this at 1am. The 'sh*t' dialogue in the birthday party scene was muted making is less powerful.
Viva produced kasi kaya wala sa C1 Jojo. Nabanggit mo nga na Misis Mo ang pinakagusto mong Carlitos-directed film.
7:37 AM
Why am I not surprised? Movies shown on pay cable should be free from censorship. Most teleseryes and news programs contain more objectionable content as opposed to these films.
Cinema One airs Viva produced movies as well although I haven't seen Misis Mo, Misis Ko as part of their monthly line-up.
5:58 AM
Talaga, dinagdagan pa nga ng SPG as Strong Parental Guidance ngayon. Hope that would really make a difference.
Baka diyan sa US may rights na rin ang C1 to air Viva-produced movies. Nakikita ko lang na may Viva kapag co-produced lang ng Star Cinema o any film outfit.
8:59 AM
I haven't noticed any SPG viewer warning, o baka di ko lang napapanood yung mga shows that contain such material...
Hindi ba nagpapalabas diyan ng Viva movies sa Cinema One? Dito kasi madalas. It's not surprising since may PBO diyan. I guess that's part of the contract...
9:13 PM
Medyo recent lang nagdagdag ng rating. Co-production lang ang may Viva Jojo.
3:56 AM
Nabasa ko nga ang bagong rating ng MTRCB. On TV kasi madaling balewalain ang rating guides lalo na kung hindi tinututukan ng parents ang panonood ng TV ng kanilang mga anak.
I guess you're right. Kasi nung nandiyan ako, I barely saw Viva movies shown on Cinema One, baka nga outside the Philippines lang sila nagpapalabas...
1:14 PM
Sadly, maraming pabayang parents or guardians.
4:08 PM
Ain't that the truth... If only they cared more about their kids.
9:21 AM
I remember Jackie Lou & Ricky Davao's 1988 movie with Seiko Films,ISusumbong Kita Sa Diyos. May memorable lines dito si Jackie Lou pero hindi ko na matandaan.
5:11 AM
That's right Dexter but their first movie together was Kung Aagawin Mo Ang Lahat Sa Akin...