Jerry Gracio’s script for “Mater Dolorosa” seems very promising, but something must have gone wrong in its transfer to the big screen as the finished product lacked the emotional impact and power that it should have. The role of Gina as Lourdes Lagrimas could have been an overpowering one, but it’s so underwritten. The role has great potential to be a good acting vehicle as she’s said to be the female version of Godfather Don Corleone, but you don’t get to feel that here as she’s not given any truly involving acting highlights.
The film opens with her husband Phillip Salvador being assassinated and dying in her arms when they were still young. In the next scene, she has aged and her four kids are all grownups: Cogie Domingo, Alessandra de Rossi, Carlo Aquino and her obvious favorite, Felix Rocco who’s taking up medicine. Her problem child is Carlo, a drug addict who’s in charge of their jueteng and sakla activities and is always breaking up with his pregnant girlfriend, Mercedes Cabral.
The movie introduces Garrie Concepcion (daughter of Gabby Concepcion and Grace Ibuna) who appears in one scene as the rich girlfriend of Cogie who dumps him. Also giving competent support are Rosanna Roces as the lover of Gina’s dead husband who constantly borrows money from her, Bembol Roco as the police chief who connives with Gina’s enemy, Anita Linda as Gina’s mother in law from the province who visits them during the Christmas season, Alwyn Uytingco as Alessandra’s boyfriend who’s a cop like her, and Jason Abalos as the mayor’s son who wants to take over Gina’s illegal businesses as a crime lord.
What should have been an explosive drama about a family who lives on crime turns out to be a fake bomb with a very long fuse that went phffft. How sad because the actors are generally fine, particularly Carlo Aquino as the tattooed junkie. Gina gives a stoic portrayal but it honestly required very little of her. She should have given scenes where she demonstrates she’s really one tough cookie who can resort to violence to show she has balls and can really assert her supremacy in her territory. As it is, she just threatens to shoot people but doesn’t actually do it. In the end, she doesn’t even use a gun to get back at someone for revenge, but just stabs someone in the back. What a letdown.
