Top 5 Best Films of 1990’s

Kris Aquino lends some glitters and controversies to  Philippine Showbiz

The  whole country is still trying to assert itself  from transition from martial rule to democracy. The political atmosphere and condition are still in struggle and the country’s economy was deeply affected. The movie industry was greatly affected as brownouts were almost everyday lasting for more than 6 hours. With slow economy, movie productions still managed to come out with good films although box-office results were not that encouraging. The movie industry got excited when a daughter of the Edsa Revolution symbol, the then president Corazon Aquino joined showbiz and lend some glitters and controversies. Kris Aquino, the first daughter became the toss of Philippine Showbiz and the 1990’s witnessed some of her scandalous and controversial showbiz gossips and excursions.

Here’s my top 5 best film of the 1990’s

1.Relasyon-This is a story of a woman who had a relation with a married man. It tackles how Filipino’s Catholics belief honed their moral values and how marital affairs are frown upon by society and the church. Vilma Santos gave a stunning performance here as a mistress who defies society norms and her catholic faith for the sake of the man she loves. In this film Santos won her grand slam awards winning all best actress trophies from different awards giving bodies such as FAMAS, FAP, Gawad Urian and Citizen Catholic Media Awards.

2. Broken Marriage- It tells how family stability can affect its member’s life. It depicts how Filipino families value family and how marital affairs break a family. Vilma Santos leads the cast and under the direction of Ishmael Bernal.

3. Lahar- it depicts the story how a natural disaster can break up human spirits. This is a moving story of how people rebuild their life the tragic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Ricky Lee wrote the script and the whole location used the entire place washed away by Lahar floods.

4. Madrasta- Stepmothers are given a new image in this film as it tells how a stepmother struggle to fit in with her stepfamily and be accepted by her stepchildren. Sharon Cuneta gave her best here and broke away from her stereotype acting. She won awards and critic’s nod and her label as a good actress.

5. Warat- it tells the story of two disillusioned society cast outs played by Joe Mari Ylanna and Joyce Jimenez. It depicts Filipino values that are being thwarted and ignored as young people embrace modern and western life. The film has mature content but was beautifully  captured and retold by its cinematography and direction.

1990’s may have its flaws and delusions but the renewed spirit of the Filipino has somehow saved them from giving up. The 90’s also saw the strong will of the Philippine showbiz people to fight for their rights but with bad economy, many movie productions turned to “Pito-Pito” movies ( film finished only in less than 2 weeks) to cope up with the high cost of film-making. !990’s may be a bad era but still has more than a dozen of good memories for most Filipino just because the boom of working abroad has reached its peak. OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) give a new lease of life to many Filipinos’ family and a better hope for the next era.

credits to the owners of the photo