Crying Ladies

this is a film that is made me love Sharon Cuneta, i really hated her films for cheesy lines, soundtracks and other crap but this is a cut above the rest. it is the best film of Sharon Cuneta since "Madrasta". she deserves to win the best actress award. even though there are some technical errors on the film, the story still makes it a real screen gem. we hope to see more films like this. it shows the real situation of how Filipinos live and how they cope up with poverty and how they will prove their love for their love ones. this is a really good movie and star cinema craps can't reach the quality of this film. we just hope to see more films like this really "Pinoy" and realistic film in the future

Saw this film while channel surfing.

Hey, ain't I right? Almost all Filipino movies contain the same plot (Lust-Love-Death-Drama...) recently.

The plot:

A mother taking care of his son who is being claimed by her former husband,

While looking for a decent job, she decided to apply as a "crying lady" (women who would wail in front of a casket in a funeral, I don't know why).

I was never a fan of locally-made films but hey!

This change my attitude towards them.

Possibly the best Filipino film I have ever watched.

I watched this film in Germany. Looking at the cover alone, I thought it would be a drama but people told me, it was suppose to be a comedy with interludes of emotional scenes. As I watched the introduction, I already noticed that this film had at least high quality production. And even the entering music was great. Another good thing was that the visual scene of the entire movie was very clear, compared to most Filipino movies. Well, it's because good quality equipments were used in this film. One thing I liked the most about this film are the sound effects. Those were the only elements that gave feeling and justice to the acting if the casts. I found the crying of the mourners very corny. The whole plot of the story, I really don't know what to say. Nothing really special. It didn't touch me at all. But the cast played their roles very well. Also the written script was good. Many people hated it and found it corny. But I have to admit that it was somewhat heart-warming. I also noticed after watching the movie that this film pays tribute to the Philippines' Filipino-Chinese heritage and I know that cultural movies do well internationally, which actually was true. For the average Filipino movie, I do not think this one is really anything special. I also don' understand why many people love this film so much. But it is weird that I find it unique in a way. Maybe it's because this film is a refreshment for Philippine cinema. I highly recommend this movie to people who are interested in foreign customs and cultures. I'm sure it will be an eye opener!

Crying Ladies is a warm film that makes you think and wonder about the little things in life. Family, friends and material things that are thought of to be so important but are really secondary. This is about the determined Stella from the old part of the city, trying to provide for herself and her son but also battling to keep him at the same time. For this, she gets her trio together as they become sought after to provide the old-style crying act for a Chinatown wake.

The acting is superb and actress Sharon Cuneta's role as Stella shows the versatility that Cuneta has always been known for. From her famous drama roles to silly comedies, she can do it. The women joining her in the leading characters are also a great line-up with another screen icon in Hilda Koronel and Angel Aquino, who is not in the name calibre of Cuneta and Koronel, but is a pleasant touch to the trio while playing the role of naive Choleng.

This film has a great formula, a warm story everybody could relate to, interesting technology and cinematography (this was groundbreaking for Philippines movies) and a cast that were perfect for their roles and for working together. Crying Ladies is also a good look at the unique qualities of the Philippines and it reveals the mini community of Chinese and Indian people and because of this, it shows how Stella, Rhoda and Choleng represent the joie de vivre and Latin passion of Filipinos and how hispanic the culture and country is (with American-style everyday influences) while being located right in the asia/pacific ocean region.

Crying Ladies was an entry to be an Oscar Foreign Film nominee, but did not make the final five films (4 or the 5 nominees were from Europe). However, it wouldn't have been a surprise if it did stand beside the Best Foreign nominees such as The Sea Inside from Spain. This film should be used as a mark for Philippine cinema to look at when making future movies.

It is not a typical type Philippine movie. It is very rare kind to have this movie. The character speak it self. Its is tailor made for Hollywood remake. The lead cast Sharon Cuneta deserve an A+ Grade for here outstanding performance in this movie. The supporting cast of this movie are excellent. Hilda Coronel gave an engaging performance as "choling" who believes that here daughter is a potential commercial model. The Story is simple but elegant by touching the heart of the audience. The lines of this movie are natural and reality. I Consider it a treasure movie that lifetime last. I salute UNITEL Pictures for producing this kind of Movie. BRAVO!!!!!!