‘Lola’ on Asia’s best list

ANITA Linda (left) in “Lola”

Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s “Lola” made it as one of the 30 best Asian films of the 21st century, according to the website Taste of Cinema.

“Lola,” which competed in the main section of Venice in 2009, is part of a list that features several Oscar best foreign language film winners and at least two Asian movies that were eventually remade by Hollywood.

According to the site, Mendoza “has come to symbolize Filipino cinema to the rest of the world.” “Lola,” the site related, “is one of the most distinct samples of his style.”

The site explained that in “Lola,” Mendoza focused on two elderly women, united by a random murder case, “to portray life in a poor district of Manila.” With a “hand-held camera,” scenes are depicted “in an utmost realistic fashion,” resulting in a “documentary-like feel.”

The film’s titular grandmothers, Anita Linda and Rustica Carpio, were “impressive,” the site noted.

In the film, Mendoza “stresses the significance of women” in the Philippines, “a fact emphasized by the almost complete insignificance of the men in the story.”

Mendoza revisits the same matriarchal territory in his latest film, “Ma’ Rosa,” which won best actress for lead star Jaclyn Jose at this year’s Cannes.

Mendoza told the Inquirer that “Lola” is his “tribute to mothers and grandmothers,” particularly his own mom, the late Gervacia Manguerra-Mendoza.

“No one can match the love that mothers and grandmothers give to their children and grandchildren,” he pointed out. “I am happy that after seven years, ‘Lola’ is still being recognized. This film is memorable to me because I am close to my mother. I’m the youngest in the family kasi.”

“Lola” is the only Filipino film in the lineup, joining such Oscar winners as Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation” (Iran), YojiroTakita’s “Departures” (Japan) and Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (Taiwan).

Also on the list are Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s “Infernal Affairs” (Hong Kong) and Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy” (South Korea)—which were both turned into Hollywood movies by Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee, respectively.

The website turns the spotlight on “world cinema and classics.” Taste of Cinema regularly drafts various lists “to introduce the best films from different filmmakers, countries, genres and eras.”