Nathalie Dagmang Film 10 WF 8:30-11:30 2010-24702 Order of Diwata program May Nagmamahal Sa Iyo The film May Nagmamahal

Sa Iyo tells the story of a teenage mother who tries to take back her child that she had to leave in an orphanage due to family problems, like her mother disowning her after she discovered that her daughter suffered the same fate as hers, the father of her child disappearing and escaping from his responsibilities and her lack of education to get a career that would enable her to support her son. What is exceptional in this film is the fact that it depicts a lot of social issues, most of them are still evident today. It tells so much about the common problems of Filipinos like teenage pregnancy, forced migration due to poverty and child abuse. The places shown in the movie also told much about the urban and rural life in the Philippines, particularly of those who belong to the lower class. The acting was really good, Lorna Tolentino portrayed Louela well as a very practical and hardworking girl who tries to take things lightly to cover up and forget her problems. Her intonation, her choice of words and the carefully selected scenes that allowed her to show her personality really helped build up the character. The character of Conrad was a bit exaggerated, but this actually made him look more playful and mischievous. However, Nestors character, in my opinion, lacks the strength and aggressiveness that I expected from him. But all in all, the film did not seem like a runoff-the-mill movie especially with the help of some really good actors that was included in the cast and the fact that it tackles some really serious problems. The particular image that really took hold of me was the statue of Mary and Jesus Christ in front of the church. After Louela left her child to the priest, the camera followed her outside of the church then hovered on the image of the statue then to the skies. In my opinion, this shot can have a strong impact on the audience because of the message that it can communicate to them, showing the contrast of Mama Marys motherhood with Louelas. Another shot that I found remarkable was the one set in Tondo. The view was like that of someone who is walking through the shanties of the place, with the camera held shakily on purpose. This way of shooting really added to the atmosphere of a place like Tondo: the shaky feeling of chaos and danger. I also liked that the lighting is very accurate. When the scene is set at day, its really bright, and when its set at night, its very dark, unlike in many movies where the night scenes are too bright that it becomes almost unbelievable. The cinematography really helped the images tell the story, the choice oflongshots, back shots and close-up shots added to the aesthetics of the film.