Tuesday, May 21, 2024

MY REVIEWS OF 8 NORA AUNOR FILMS FROM 2011-2020

May 21, 2024

According to Wikipedia, National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ms. Nora Aunor starred in 13 feature films in the past decade, 2011 to 2020. Fortunately, I had been able to watch and write reviews about eight of them, even if they had been indie films which had not been easily available for mainstream audiences to watch.


THY WOMB (2012)

Director: Brillante Mendoza

Writer: Henry Burgos

A middle-aged Moslem Badjao woman named Shaleha (Nora Aunor) living in Tawi-tawi. She was a midwife, and collected the umbilical cords of the babies she delivered as a souvenir of her career. However, because she herself was childless, she took it upon herself to find a suitable second wife for her husband Bangas-An (Bembol Roco) to have a child of his own, unmindful of the consequences this decision might impose on her. 9/10

MY FULL REVIEW



HINULID (2016)

Director: Kristian Cordero

Writer: Kristian Cordero

Sita Dimaiwat (Nora Aunor) is a very religious Catholic woman who lived in Naga with her one son named Lukas. As a young boy, Lukas was very close to their parish priest, memorizing all his catechism and prayers. As a young man (Jess Mendoza), he chose to take up Law in Manila instead, memorizing his jurisprudence textbooks. One day, he joined a political rally and was killed. Sita went to recover her son's remains and rode a train to bring him back to their hometown. 8/10

MY FULL REVIEW


TUOS (2016)

Director: Derick Cabrido

In the mountainous hinterlands of Antique, there is a tribe that lives in ancient tradition. Their respected elder is a woman they call a "binukot" -- a cloistered woman who kept the oral tradition alive by memorizing their epics and singing them on special ceremonies. The current binukot Pina-Ilog (Nora Aunor), with her head of thick floor-length gray hair, is preparing her own granddaughter Dowokan (Barbie Forteza) as the fair maiden chosen to be the new binukot princess. 8/10

MY FULL REVIEW


DEMENTIA (2014)

Director: Perci Intalan

Writers: Renei Dimla and Jun Lana

Mara Fabre (Nora Aunor) has been diagnosed with early stage dementia. She was brought back to her remote hometown in Batanes by her cousin Elaine (Bing Loyzaga) to help her recover her memories. Mara keeps getting visions of a playful little girl or a masked bride, whom she called Olivia. As the Olivia's ghostly games become more sinister, will Mara and Elaine's family be able to escape with their sanity or their lives? 8/10

MY FULL REVIEW



ANG KUWENTO NI MABUTI (2013)

Director: Mes de Guzman

Writer: Mes De Guzman

Mabuti (Nora Aunor) is a folk healer in a remote hilly area of Nueva Vizcaya. She is known for her cheerfulness, friendliness and kindness.  She lives with her Mother (Josephina Estabillo) and two adult children, Ompong and Lucia (Arnold Reyes and Mara Lopez).  Ompong has one daughter, indulgently named Kate Winslet.  Lucia is very unlucky in her relationships, having three daughters (Lenlen, Angge and Mimay) with three different men.  7/10

MY FULL REVIEW


HUSTISYA (2014)

Director: Joel Lamangan

Writer: Ricky Lee

Virginia Cabahug, more known by her nickname Biring (Nora Aunor), is a trusted aide of a bigtime human trafficking queen Vivian (Rosanna Roces). She does the rounds with the payoffs and deliveries walking around with her umbrella, white bag and thermos jug.  One day, Biring gets framed for murder.  While in prison, she was linked up with a hotshot young lawyer, Atty. Gerald (Rocco Nacino). The attorney not only gets Biring released, but also revealed bigger plans for her within their organization. 6/10

MY FULL REVIEW


WHISTLEBLOWER (2016)

Director: Adolfo Alix, Jr.

Writer: Rody Vera

Zeny Roblado (Nora Aunor), an accountant was rescued by the NBI when she was illegally detained by her boss Lorna Valera (Cherrie Pie Picache). Roblado revealed that Valera's "business" were bogus NGOs which siphoned huge amounts of money from the government only to wind up in the greedy hands of politicians and Valera herself. As Roblado blows the whistle in Senate hearings, the lives of everyone involved in the drama are put through a dangerous wringer. 6/10

MY FULL REVIEW


ISA PANG BAHAGHARI (2020)

Director: Joel Lamangan

Writer: Joel Lamangan and Eric  Santos

Dom (Philip Salvador) suddenly came back home after twenty years of being presumed dead. He first went to see Rhey (Michael de Mesa), now working as a hairdresser and a drag performer. Dom then asked to be brought to Lumen (Nora Aunor), now a cripple working on dried fish in a seaside town, so he can beg for forgiveness for abandoning her and their three children, namely Andy (Zanjoe Marudo), Peter (Joseph Marco) and Dolly (Sanya Lopez), all of whom now led troubled lives. 5/10

MY FULL REVIEW





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