SISTER STELLA L.
Mike De Leon (1984)
It was a rather rewarding experience to revisit this film, so very evocative of the era during which it was made and yet remains topical and is such a fine work of cinema in itself. It banked on the popularity of lead actress Vilma Santos and the critical anticipation attendant to every film by director Mike De Leon. Santos,playing against type,surprisingly pulled it off with quiet aplomb. She tends to fall victim to histrionic acting in her films prior to this, but in here she was reduced to effective underacting, complemented by an overall excellent ensemble cast. Laurice Guillen and Tony Santos,in particular were so good,they can't help but steal the scenes they're in.
De Leon's directorial style,which I tend to describe as vigorous,is in full display here. Apparently given full control of the project by an otherwise profit-oriented Mother Lily, he was let loose with a topic that is so daring for its time and engaged his audience with various themes ranging from labour relations to religion to unrequited love.
My only minor gripes with the movie is the ambiguity of its lead character,despite several scenes in the middle part that tried to give insight to her motivations, and the open-ended conclusion. Otherwise, it's a perfect film.
