Amy Austria Movies
- 2002
Filipino filmmaker Gil M. Portes directs the drama Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices), based on the teaching experience of his niece during the 1980s. Alessandra de Rossi plays Melinda Santiago, an idealistic young woman who takes a teaching position at a small rural school in the Philippine province of Malawig. With a corrupt government and scarce economic opportunities, the townsfolk struggle to survive. While many of the adults choose to join the guerilla military force, the children are made to work on family farms rather than receive an education. Against many of the parents' wishes, Melinda enters her class in a singing competition. Small Voices premiered at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alessandra de Rossi, Dexter Doria, (more)
A woman struggling to make a better life for her family finds that her efforts have caused a rift between her and her children in this downbeat family drama. Josie (Vilma Santos) is a mother of three from the Philippines who took a job in Hong Kong, working as a nanny for a wealthy couple for several years. Josie knew she could make far more money in Hong Kong than she could at home, but she also had qualms about how this would effect her children, especially when her husband died not long after she left. When Josie returns home, she has gifts for everyone and has saved a large percentage of her salary, which she plans to use to start a business; but her children don't welcome their mother with open arms. The younger kids, Daday (Sheila May Alvero) and Michael (Baron Geisler), are guarded around Josie, and while in time they are able to mend their relationship with their mother, the oldest, Carla (Claudine Barretto) does nothing to disguise her resentment for what she sees as a callous abandonment of her family. Carla openly challenges Josie's authority, starts dating boys she knows her mother would not approve of, flaunts her burgeoning sexuality, and begins using drugs. Anak received its American premiere at the 2001 San Francisco Asian-American Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vilma Santos, Joel Torre, (more)
A fisherman's wounded spirit begins to give out as he loses his hold on his livelihood in this drama from the Philippines. Fredo (Cesar Montano) is a fisherman who has endured more than his share of hardship in life; his wife and child both perished in a boating accident, and today Fredo approaches each trip to the sea with the angry determination of a man out for revenge. Fredo commands a crew of young people from poor families as he takes his rattletrap ship into the ocean in search of fish that live along the reefs, snaring catch with an illegal netting system. Not all of Fredo's youthful sailors are willing to put up with his abusive arrogance, however, and even his father Dado (Pen Medina) and close friend Botong (Jhong Hilario) have grown weary of Fredo's tirades. Fredo's body is beginning to betray him as well, and as he and his crew damage the sea's reef beds in search of fish, no one is certain how much longer he will be able to continue. Muro-Ami was shot primarily at sea, and is distinguished by its fine photography and vivid portrayal of the fisherman's life. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cesar Montano, Pen Medina, (more)
In 1995, a Filipino maid was executed in Singapore for killing a young co-worker. This true-life drama from the Philippines tells her story. Flor Contemplacion, like many impoverished people, thought she might have a shot at a better life if she worked abroad as a domestic and so took her four much-loved children to Singapore to take a maid's job. Unlike many other servants, Flor was well-treated by her employers. In March 1995, she was suddenly arrested and charged with killing a maid and the little boy the maid was caring for. Unfortunately, all evidence points to Flor's innocence. After her hanging, the tale behind the tragedy is revealed. The filmmakers pull no punches in their scathing examination of her patriarchal culture and of the incompetence of the Philippine justice system that failed to protect her. They also examine the effects of Flor's absence upon her family. Her husband, unable to stand the wait, begins an affair and then forces the two oldest girls to marry. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1980
In this film noir from the Philippines, Poldo (Philip Salvador), a poor man, becomes a security guard in a posh apartment house to help his family. Trouble ensues after he saves resident Sonny (Mengie Colarribias) from a corrupt nightclub owner's attack. The grateful resident offers Poldo a job as his bodyguard. Unbeknownst to Poldo, his new employer publishes porno magazines and is just as corrupt as his attacker. He soon discovers that the men were fighting over Cristy (Amy Austria) a woman whom Poldo is now supposed to protect. Poldo and Cristy feel a sexual attraction and act upon it. Not long after that, a gang war erupts into violence and Poldo kills a man. Later his boss offers to save him and his family in exchange for his silence. With its main character trapped in an amoral world, Jaguar has a true noir sensibility and mood of grim determinism. This is one of the few Filipino films to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was well-received. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Phillip Salvador, Amy Austria, (more)
