But instead of getting rusty, her directorial skills have become even sharper and keener. This is very evident in her comeback vehicle, Tanging Yaman, a rich family drama being fielded for the Metro Manila Film Festival, where – I’m a hundred percent sure – it’s bound to take home a lion’s share of the prizes come awards night on Dec. 27.
Produced by Star Cinema, the movie casts Gloria Romero as the grand matriarch Dona Dolores "Loleng" Rosales, a widow with three children: Danny (Johnny Delgado), Art (Edu Manzano) and Grace (Dina Bonnevie).
Danny, the eldest, is the most carefree among the Rosales siblings. After living life to the fullest as a bachelor, he settles down to marry Celine (Hilda Koronel) who bears him three kids: Boyet (Marvin Agustin), Chona (Carol Banawa) and Cacay (Shaina Magdayao). Since he is the least accomplished among the children, Danny still lives in the ancestral house with his mother and is rather content with his income from rationing food to the municipal hall and operating three tricycles in their hometown in Pampanga.
Danny is the exact opposite of Art who is extremely driven when it comes to career and can be severe and cold toward his family: wife Nanette (Cherry Pie Picache) and their two sons: Rommel (Jericho Rosales) and John-john (CJ Ramos).
Grace is the only girl. She is based in San Francisco with her husband, Francis (Joel Torre) and their children, Madeleine (Janet McBride) and Andrew (John Prats).
Doña Loleng is unhappy because her two sons and only daughter can’t seem to get along with one another. She prays hard and lifts her family’s disunity to the Almighty. She also offers to the Lord her illness which eventually worsens and is later diagnosed to be Alzheimer’s disease in its advanced stage.
Despite Doña Loleng’s worsening condition, Danny, Art and Grace still prepare for their mother’s 75th birthday. But instead of a happy reunion, old wounds and hurts are reopened towards the end of the celebration and this leads to a heated argument among the family members. They only rally behind each other when near-tragedy hits one of the grandchildren.
Tanging Yaman obviously has a large cast. But in spite of its numerous characters, its story remains cohesive, intact and whole. Not once does it go astray.
Rated A by the Film Ratings Board, Tanging Yaman is really a gem of a film. It is perfect in practically every aspect. All the technical elements are meticulously done and properly orchestrated, the screenplay is inspired and well-structured and the direction of Guillen simply works just like magic.
The performances of all the cast members – and I mean all – also prove to be among the Tanging Yaman’s major assets. From the oldest to the youngest – each one of them is excellently handled and correctly motivated by Laurice.
Johnny Delgado – who was prone to excesses even in his award-winning acting moments in the ’80s – is well-tempered in this film. Guillen likewise succeeds in controlling Edu Manzano who has this tendency to go overboard everytime he has to play bad guy roles in the movies.
Dina Bonnevie, one of local cinema’s gifted actresses, shines brilliantly here in Tanging Yaman as the rebellious child who now has to deal with her own headstrong American-bred daughter.
Cherry Pie Picache, another reliable film and television actress, also turns in a memorable performance in this movie.
Hilda Koronel’s role as Johnny Delgado’s wife may seem short and insignificant – considering her stature as a drama queen in Philippine movies. But the acting genius that she is, she’s still able to make her mark even in a secondary part.
Actually, there are really no token roles in this film. Even those parts given to the young members of the cast are important. And it is again to Guillen’s credit that she’s able to bring out the best in these youngsters. Marvin Agustin and especially Jericho Rosales have already delivered fine performances on television in the past. Here in Tanging Yaman, they manage to prove that they fare just as well even in a more challenging medium like the big screen.
In the case of Carol Banawa, her biggest contribution to this film – as expected – is her extraordinary singing voice which is put to good use since she is a choir member aspiring to be a music scholar in the story. (In one the movie’s most moving scenes, Doña Loleng – already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease – temporarily becomes lucid after hearing Carol sing.)
The biggest surprise in this movie is actually the wonderful performance of Janet McBride, a mestiza newcomer raised in Australia. Cast as Dina Bonnevie’s stubborn daughter, she goes through her role like she’s been acting in the movies for decades.
Of course, the one cast member of Tanging Yaman who’s been in the movies for decades (five decades to be exact) is Gloria Romero. But for all those long years of servitude to Philippine movies – giving mostly remarkable performances (even when she was playing aswang roles in the early ’70s) – all she has in her shelf is one best actress trophy from the FAMAS (for playing the lead role in Dalagang Ilocana in 1954). All her other acting awards are for best supporting actress (for Saan Nagtatago ang Pag-ibig and Nagbabagang Luha).
Playing the grand matriarch reduced to a pitiful victim of Alzheimer’s disease in Tanging Yaman, Ms. Romero is simply outstanding and deserves to score a grand-slam as this year’s best actress. It’s a luminous performance rarely seen in local films and it will be a crime not make her win in this movie.
Along with the notable performances of the other cast members, Gloria Romero really help turn this movie into one of the greatest melodramas ever created for the big screen. It’s a tearjerker, all right, but it is never mushy. Without being overly sentimental or mawkish, it succeeds at tugging at the heartstrings of each and every viewer.
As a family drama, Tanging Yaman is uplifting to the spirit and is truly a treasure of a movie.