| Crying Ladies | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mark Meily |
| Written by |
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| Screenplay by | Mark Meily |
| Based on | Bayad Luha byMark Meily |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lee Meily |
| Edited by | Danny Añonuevo |
| Music by | Vincent Abenojar De Jesus |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages | |
| Box office | ₱70 million[1] |
Crying Ladies is a 2003Filipinocomedy-drama filmdirected byMark Meily based on hisPalanca-winning screenplayBayad Luha.[2] The film starsSharon Cuneta as Stella,Hilda Koronel as Aling Doray, andAngel Aquino as Choleng, who are hired as professional funeral mourners by a wealthyChinese-Filipino family inManila'sChinatown, while they deal with their personal problems.
The film was released on December 25, 2003, in thePhilippines as an entry to the2003 Metro Manila Film Festival where it won five major awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor forQuizon, Best Supporting Actress for Koronel, and Best Child Performer for Pacheco. It was thePhilippines' submission to the77th Academy Awards for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[3]
After the death of his father, Wilson is tasked by his wealthyChinese-Filipino family to look forprofessional funeral mourners who will participate in the funeral rites. Despite the waning popularity ofprofessional mourners, his family insists on hiring them so that his father can have a traditionalChinese funeral.
While searching inManila'sChinatown, he meets Stella, a cash-strapped mother who has been recently released after serving time for fraud. Despite her initial apprehensions and realization that Wilson's father was responsible for her imprisonment, she agrees to be afuneral mourner after accepting a 500-peso advanced payment from Wilson. Stella tags two of her friends, Aling Doray, a former B-star actress who waxes nostalgic about her former acting career under the stage name Rhoda Rivera, and Choleng, a pious woman who vows to avoid sinning after having repeated affairs with her friend's husband Ipe.
During their stint as professional mourners, the three bond and talk about their experiences, struggles, and dreams in life. Stella is sad because of the impending departure of her young son Bong, who will be moving toCagayan de Oro, along with her former husband Guido and his new wife Cecile. She wants to have a decent and stable job so she can reclaim custody and reunite with her son. Doray frequently reminisces about her acting career, particularly as an extra inDarna and the Giants. Choleng is trying to resist Ipe's advances and end their affair and make up for it by doing more religious and charity works.
After the burial of his father, Wilson, who had a tumultuous relationship with his father, forgives him for not being a good father and starts appreciating the good things he has done. He calls Stella to inform her that a Japanese promotion company is hiring entertainers. Stella immediately applies and gets the job, where she becomes a successful karaoke actress. Doray gets an offer to reprise her role as an extra in a sequel ofDarna and the Giants. Choleng finally ends her affair with Ipe and is now a marriage counselor in her parish.
Crying Ladies was based onBayad Luha, a screenplay written byMeily in 2000 as part of his thesis for a screenwriting workshop byFilipino scriptwriter Armando Lao.[4][5] He later entered it into theDon Carlos Palanca Awards in 2001 where it won the Third Prize inDulaang Pampelikula (Filipino Division).Unitel Pictures producer Tony Gloria read the screenplay and described it as "unput-downable." Gloria offered the lead role toCuneta, due to their previous collaborations inDear Heart,P.S. I Love You, andForgive and Forget. The role of Aling Doray was initially offered toNida Blanca before she was murdered. As such, the role had to be re-written for Hilda Koronel.[2]
Crying Ladies is the first Filipino film that makes extensive use of MILO Motion Control System and also the first Filipino film to be shot on the latestKodak Eastman 2 film stock. It is the second Filipino movie to be locally recorded and mixed in Dolby SRD 5.1 technology.[4]
Crying Ladies received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Onreview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 13 reviews.[6] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 54% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]
The story was praised by several critics.A.O. Scott ofNew York Times wrote, "Its most winning attribute is a kind of sloppy, unassuming friendliness, a likability aptly reflected in its characters."[8]Kevin Thomas ofLos Angeles Times described the film as "An endearing comedy that deftly blends sentiment and grit and features a clutch of topFilipino stars."[9] Eddie Cockrell ofVariety praisedMeily's direction and the cast's performance: “Crying Ladies moves smartly and evenly under the direction of debut helmerMark Meily. Perfs sparkle, with each thesp comfortable navigating between broad comedy and legitimate pathos."[10]
The film received some negative reviews. Mark Holcomb ofVillage Voice criticized the editing, but still praised the film, particularlyCuneta's performance: "Cuneta delivers an engaging, surprisingly coarse performance, considering her onetimePhilippines-sweetheart status, and the subtle revelations concerning ritual and loss inMeily’s story serve her well. More judicious editing was surely called for, butCrying Ladies succeeds as first-rate melodrama."[11]V.A. Musetto, writing forNew York Post, also criticized the film: "There aren't many surprises as the story unfolds in soap-opera fashion, with a happy ending for all concerned."[9]
| Crying Ladies: Official Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | December 25, 2003 |
| Genre | Pop/rock, R&B, OPM |
| Label | Unitel |
Crying Ladies was accompanied with asoundtrack during its theatrical release for the promotion of the album. The album containspop/rock,R&B andOPM songs from various artists such asKuh Ledesma,South Border andParokya ni Edgar.[12] It's carrier single Rainbow became a radio smash hit in 2004.
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rainbow" | South Border | |
| 2. | "Idlip" | Barbie's Cradle | |
| 3. | "Inner Strength (Love & Faith)" | Aliya Parcs | |
| 4. | "Magbabago" | Parliament Syndicate | |
| 5. | "My Imagination" | All-Star | |
| 6. | "Stay" | Boom Dayupay and Angel Jones of Kulay | |
| 7. | "With You Around" | Art Strong | |
| 8. | "Para Sa Iyo" | Serendipity | |
| 9. | "Goodbye" | 604 | |
| 10. | "Father" | Kuh Ledesma | |
| 11. | "Madapaka" | Parokya ni Edgar |
