REVIEW: Secrets, lies, and the horror of motherhood in 'Mag-iina'
The Best Picture winner of the recently-concluded Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, Mag-iina is the latest film from director Giancarlo Abrahan. Based on Guelan Varela-Luarca’s Palanca Award-winning play, Corridors, the film is a brooding exploration of the horrific traumas borne by the women of a once-proud family.
The story opens with the arrival of Anj (Janine Gutierrez) at her ancestral home to commemorate the 40th day of her father’s passing. Welcomed by her Tita Mita (Cherry Pie Picache) and adopted cousin Ynigo (Lucas Andilo), Anj is quickly re-immersed in the family drama that resulted in her to moving to New York as a teenager.
From her departed father’s serial philandering to her mother’s (Agot Isidro) subsequent mental breakdown, the reasons for Anj’s self-imposed exile are all too clear, compounded by her overbearing grandmother’s (Jackie Lou Blanco) antagonistic nature. But with generations of pain threatening to crush them all, Anj’s homecoming will prove transformational in a way she never could have imagined.
Mag-iina has all the hallmarks of a compelling Cinemalaya entry, weaving introspective, character-based drama with a genuinely unsettling take on institutional rot, through the lenses of family tradition and obligation. The screenplay, adapted for the screen by Varela-Luarca himself, depicts a clan desperately clinging to vestiges of its former glories, reflected in both the characters and the ephemeral clutter of their shared home. The fall from grace is perhaps best personified by Blanco’s blisteringly unsympathetic matriarch, an imperious, callous national artist who cares less for her descendants’ wellbeing than she does their unequivocal obedience.
The interpersonal dynamics here will be familiar to anyone dealing with strained familial relations; decades may pass, but old grievances’ ability to inform the present are eternal.
Indeed, the film’s notions of filial piety and expectations are endlessly significant, to say nothing of the futility of trying to outrun or outgrow them. The underlying message of nature and nurture playing equal roles in a family’s—and, by extension—society’s ills is just as provocative.
Guttierez and Picache are excellent as characters attempting to weather the storm, even as everything and everyone around them seems geared to extract pain. At the same time, Isidro’s turn as Anj’s mercurial, substance-dependent mother is equally well-played, while Blanco (aged beyond recognition by well-applied prosthetics) commands every scene as the downright monstrous Angela.
Supporting the all-star ensemble is Ness Roque as long-suffering housekeeper Katte, who contends with her employers’ idiosyncrasies through a combination of stoic contempt and periodic fourth wall breaks. Roque’s role is easily among the most tragic, and the young actor effectively anchors her scenes, holding her own against the abundance of star power surrounding her.
But where Mag-iina’s credentials as a psychological drama are impeccable, its use of the supernatural to supplement the horror of cyclical abuse is somewhat uneven, as what may have played well in an intimate stage setting is belied by the realities of a feature-length film. Indeed, despite the almost uniformly superb performances and setting, the film’s genre conventions are undermined by the presentation of key sequences.
Practical considerations notwithstanding, concepts that may have been better served implied are repeatedly spelled out for the viewer, undermining both their intent and their ultimate impact; given that the ultimate potency of the narrative lies in the inherent depravity of Mag-iina’s premise, precious little is left to interpretation. Where the supernatural elements could have added an indelible layer to the proceedings, the imbalanced manner in which certain reveals are handled make for a missed opportunity.
Of course, seeing as the bulk of the film’s unsettling nature is derived from the Philippine audience’s familiarity with the settings and premise, it undoubtedly succeeds on a conceptual level. As a foray into cinematic horror, however, the resultant execution falls short of its tantalizing promise.