‘M. (Mother’s Maiden Name)’ Review: Humor and heart in tragedy

Zig Dulay’s M. (Mother’s Maiden Name) opens without much fanfare. Bella (Zsa Zsa Padilla), a successful lawyer and single mother, receives news from her doctor that she is suffering from pancreatic cancer.

She reacts quite unusually. Tears are clearly welling beneath her steely stare, but she deflects any appearance of weakness with icy wit and surprising frankness. Her reaction to what should have been news that would render anybody frozen with terror sums up her character. She is domineering to the point of arrogance, and strong-willed to the point of detachment.  

Mother and son

It doesn’t take Dulay too long to fully characterize Bella. In just one sequence, the audience has a fair grasp of what kind of person Bella is, and how she would likely intend to struggle through the dilemma she is suddenly faced with.

This notable economy in Dulay’s storytelling allows him to unravel more layers in what essentially is a very straightforward narrative of a woman struggling with cancer. 

M. (Mother’s Maiden Name) is then allowed to blossom as a portrait of the delicate relationship between an overbearing single mother and her mellow gay son (Nico Antonio). It is perhaps this sensitively depicted relationship between two obviously distinct souls connected only by blood and dedication to each other that beats as the heart of the film. 

Bella, with her frequent histrionic bursts of attitude that are always coupled with sarcastic jeers, teeters towards being a caricature. Padilla expertly manages her character’s highs and lows. Antonio’s mannered performance complements Padilla’s, allowing a lot of their tender moments together to resonate beautifully.

The other end of the spectrum 

Midway, the film changes its focus towards Bella’s maid (Gloria Sevilla), whose daughter (Sue Prado) is suffering from a mysterious ailment. It becomes apparent that Dulay’s goal here is not to map the various cures Bella has undergone to get rid of cancer but to emphasize the gross gap between those who have and those who have-not when it comes to healthcare. 

While Bella has been led to faith healing out of variety in choice of treatment, her maid, impoverished and without any access to a reliable medical facility, has only faith healing to rely on. Despite the obvious differences, the two mothers are ultimately united by humanity, which is denominated by their painful resolution to accept and admit mortality. 

The film does suffer from an inconsistent visual tone, with Albert Banzon’s camera sometimes elegantly still and at other times, jiggling unnecessarily. This is probably resulting from Dulay’s insistence on maintaining a look that is more commonly associated with realism. Sadly, it is an aesthetic decision the film does not really need to work.

Found stories 

M. (Mother’s Maiden Name), because it tackles both cancer and social injustice, might seem like an obtuse and serious film. However, there is charming levity in Dulay’s explorations of themes that are commonly regarded as dark and foreboding.

The film finds humor in the abject absurdities of Bella and her maid’s vastly different situations. Bella’s vanity in the midst of physical suffering is a constant punch line. On the other hand, when the daughter of Bella’s maid needs to be rushed to the hospital, a protracted sequence of her entourage being lead through the fields first via a tricycle, then a carabao, and finally, a small tractor, is funny in an awkward sort of way.

M. (Mother’s Maiden Name) is culled from real, specific, and sometimes familiar experiences that are molded in a way to suit Dulay’s firm intentions. The film is a fully realized example of how found stories can be crafted into very solid manifestos about the ills of society without necessarily abandoning the goal of still being entertaining. – Rappler.com

Francis Joseph Cruz litigates for a living and writes about cinema for fun. The first Filipino movie he saw in the theaters was Carlo J. Caparas’ ‘Tirad Pass.’ Since then, he’s been on a mission to find better memories with Philippine cinema. Profile photo by Fatcat Studios