Skip to main content

Mudrasta (Tagalog/Filipino)

As you can likely guess by the poster itself, this film is over the top. But at the same time its very heartwarming family-comedy film that never overstays its welcome and makes its point across with sharp wit and humor. It perfectly blends heart and humor, offering audiences the kind of feel-good entertainment that leaves you smiling long after the credits roll. The title means "stepmother"

Victor “Beki” Labrador finds out that his love of his life Enrique has passed away. He travels a long distance to make sure he attends his funeral. At his will reading, he is shocked to fund out that he has left him half estate and stake in family business with one condition that Beki must move in his mansion and live with his two sons and their stern grandmother as the stepmother. What follows is a heartfelt and funny journey as Beki confronts the past and tries to win over a family that wants nothing to do with him. Through flashbacks we learn that Beki met Enrique in school in country and they both fell in love. When Enrique goes back to city for college, he gets a agri pregnant and ends up marrying her, but his love is always for Beki and they continue to occasionally meet. Turns out the wife was gambler and when she died, Beki cuts off all ties with Enrique for almost 15 years. Back to present, Beki is not welcomed by anyone in family and is treated like servant. But slowly he manages to make a place in everyone's heart and by the end of it they all realize and understand how and why Beki was so important to Enrique.

The film never goes too serious and it follows a series of hilarious, touching, and chaotic moments that test Beki’s patience, heart, and resilience. And they are fun to watch. All the flashback scenes are one with the same grown up actors so it makes up for a different kind of comedy. With ugly mop-like wigs and puffy wrinkly faces, the two were giving it their all playing high school students with gusto, and that in itself was already very funny in all its awkwardness. Lead actor playing Beki has impeccable comic timing and he moves between laugh out loud comedy and heartfelt emotional scenes with ease. I liked how the story shows gradual shift from first the younger son, then older son (who also happens to be gay but is in closet since he is a celebrity) and eventually to the grandma. The entire ensemble cast just fits the bill including Beki's friend and the other servants. The chemistry among the cast feels natural, never forced, and enhances the film’s family-centered story. The film also subtly touches on themes of acceptance, forgiveness, and the realities of same-sex relationships, but without being heavy-handed. At its core, it’s about kindness, love, and family. An old school OTT comedy with outlandish clothes and acting but somehow it all works and makes you laugh. What else does one need? (6/10)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sei no Gekiyaku (Japanese) [Dangerous Drugs of Sex]

Every person has their own unique way of dealing with loss. This film is as much a psychological thriller as it is a soft porn BDSM portrayal of two young men that makes the film overall horrifying as well as humane. It is really hard to describe the genre of this film in one word. Its important not that the film has some really disturbing scenes so if you go into seeing this film, please proceed with caution. Although any sexual non-consensual activity is not ok, this film has its won strange way of showing that suicide is not the only solution to all life's problems. Makoto is a regular office goer, who just finds out that his girlfriend is probably cheating on him. ON top of it, his parents sudden death coming back from a trip that he forced them to take, he gets completely dejected and decides to commit suicide. Unknown to him, he is saved by mysterious man Yoda Ryoji, and he wakes up finding himself tied up in leather and belts in a very BDSM setting. This mysterious saver soo...

Drug Shore (Chinese)

Apparently tis film was adapted by a true story Well, true or not, movies/series about drugs are not easy to watch. I have always said that drugs is like the end of life for anyone. For those who sink into this sea of addiction, some manage to swim upstream to recovery, while others cannot make it to the shore. The film may not be the best, but it does have a noble intention to remind everyone of the evil affects of drugs and combining that with sex. Ah Zhe is in a happy relationship with his influencer boyfriend. On his partner's birthday, they end up going to a party, which interestingly is being hosted at a drug dealer's house and this is where for the first time he is exposed to the world of drugs. The duo somehow do it just enough and come back home but next day Ah She gets invited by the dealer Xiao Fei for a meal. The dealer has a soft corner for Ah Zhe, but before anyone realizes, Ah Zhe's life spirals out of control when slowly he starts doing more and more drugs, ...

The Shortest Distance is Round 3: Fallen Flowers

Continuing with the weird trilogy of "The Shortest Distance", I am so glad that finally I am done with part 3 and won't have to deal with this again in future. Thankfully, as of now the makers have not announced any further parts; which will save all of us on this earth from the embarrassment of watching this in near future. After the first 10 minutes are used in sort of recapping bits of first two parts, the story moves forward. Haruto is now starting to have feelings for Ruka, the mysterious pole dancer from second part. In a fit of rage, Ruka ends up killing the goat man and to save him and Haruto, Shibahara asks them to go underground. Meanwhile Shibahara continues the search for Seiya (the guy who had cut off Haruto's penis). It turns out Seiya is now also taking care of the original club owner from part 1. Both of them were released after they had informed Shibahara of Aoyama's secret location. Shibahara tortures Seiya's boyfriend leading to Seiya killin...