Mater Dolorosa

At the heart of every Filipino film is the family, according to Adolfo B. Alix Jr. In his cool yet charged Mater Dolorosa, the actress Gina Alajar, who is very well known in the Philippines, plays a woman who dominates illegal activities in an old district of Manila. Her family's welfare has to be weighed against the interests of the criminal business she runs with her children. Her sons Joseph and Eli focus on stealing cars, drugs and gambling. Her daughter Fatima is the link with the corrupt police. She tries to keep Benjamin, the youngest, safe from harm. Just before New Year, everything moves into a dangerously higher gear when the mayor and his criminal son start a counterattack, while internal tensions threaten family harmony.
A strikingly sober yet apt style (there is virtually no music) with powerful, carefully composed images in a palette that is almost black-and-white, focusing on the actors.