THY WOMB is a moving and visually
captivating with two commanding yet understated central performances. Mendoza’s film deserves an accolade at
Venezia 69.
Jo-Ann Titmarsh
United Kingdom
----------000----------
Nora Aunor’s charming interpretation makes
her character of the most sympathetic in the festival.
Josefina Sartora
Argentina
----------000----------
The sequence of marriage is not only
beautiful, outwardly beautiful, but can tell us about the lives and fractures
in the lives that marriage is causing . . . The character of Shaleha is
heartwarming and heartbreaking even in her self-sacrifice for the sake of her
husband.
Nuovo Cinema Locatelli
Italy
---------000-----------
Mendoza is much more interested in a
convincing portrait of ordinary people in an unknown part of the world . . .
but at the end of the ride he lets you do with a lump in the throat.
Ruben
Nollet
Belgium
----------000----------
Thy Womb is a moving portrait of courageous
woman, ready to sacrifice herself for the greater good, relying on a community
that has long been known that it can only survive by helping each other as much
as possible.
Raphael Clairefond
France
----------000----------
Featuring a standout performance by
Philippine superstar Nora Aunor, Brillante Mendoza once again capture the
complexities and frustration of contemporary Philippine society.
Kim Ji Seok
South Korea
----------000----------
Nora Aunor’s performance is spectacular in
Thy Womb. It is a very, very beautiful film.
Maxine Williamson
Australia
----------000---------
In a stunning comeback role, Philippine
supertar Nora Aunor breathes soul into her character of a lowly wife who is as
summarily sacrificed like an animal.
Philip Cheah
Dubai
----------000----------
The Filipino director strikes with a story
extreme sensitivity and delicacy . . . The naturalistic and credible
interpretation of Nora Aunor, the sacrificial lamb provides emotional and
passionate picture of love and motherhood.
Elisabetta Bartucca
Italy
----------000----------
A page of unforgettable film, born in one of
the pristine places in the planet.
Valerio Sammarco
Italy
----------000----------
THY WOMB is a heartbreaking, devoutly humanist
work.
Steve Gravestock
Canada
----------000----------
A profound, beautiful film that offers a
different view of the concept of relationships that goes against that taken in
western society.
Anastasia Primachenko
Russia
----------000---------
The sacrifice of the strong woman done with
amazing sweetness and poetic beauty makes it as beautiful as the natural
landscapes that frame the film.
R. Serini
Italy
----------000----------
Mendoza and his actors create real people
with a subtle awareness of gesture and a sensitivity to the complex emotions of
two characters are living through.
John Bleasdale
United Kingdom
----------000----------
The film successfully describes the Bajau
rituals without judging their cultures.
Michael Kienzl
Germany
----------000----------
A wonderful love story . . . Just a
universal story.
Petra Reski
Italy
----------000----------
Precise and detailed in describing the life
of the Bajau, this Mendoza film is full lyricism and authentic at the same
time, inevitably cruel, poetic and melancholy.
Valeria Morini
Italy
----------000----------
Brillante Mendoza manages to show a drama
fiction and documentary, with flowing images that interweave human feelings on
a canvas of colors.
Oscar Sanchez
Mexico
----------o0o---------
Tells the rituals and beliefs of a hidden
culture. Almost an essay of
anthropology.
Mereghetti Paolo
Italy
---------o0o----------
The genius of Mendoza’s film is that no sooner
has he drawn us into the couple’s simple life on the beautiful island of Tawi-Tawi
than he unsettles this paradise with cinematic eruptions.
Jamie Dunn
United
Kingdom
----------o0o---------
There is a strange harmony in the Bajau
community . . . The camerawork by Brillante Mendoza investigates the universe
interspersed between islands, churches and mosques, colorful markets and
wedding rites.
Paola Piacenza
Italy
----------o0o----------
It is the best film to date from Filipino
director Brillante Mendoza . . . The story becomes as quietly agonishing as a
De Sica film.
Nigel Andrews
United Kingdom
----------o0o---------
A beautiful naturalistic film. The actress, Nora Aunor, is fantastic.
Mateo Sancho Cardiel
Argentina
----------o0o---------
Brillante Mendoza designs a moving melodrama
a couple torn between love and social traditions.
Cristina Nord
Austria
----------o0o---------
This story of love and sacrifice is simple
in appearance, but the resonance is disturbing and deep.
Jean-Francois
Pluijgers
Belgium
----------o0o----------
Mendoza does not focus on telling an
emotionally charged story about a childless couple with the desire for
offspring in a very dramatic way.
Rather, rituals, gestures and cultural codes are at the center of
attention and convey, without judging, the image of a remote society.
Vienna
International Film Festival
----------o0o----------
Nora Aunor, one of the best actresses of the
world . . . in a magnificent visual sublimation.
Pierre Hombrebueno
Italy
----------o0o----------
NORA AUNOR is nothing short of MAGNIFICENT in
Brillante Mendoza's THY WOMB.
Jose Javier Reyes
Philippines
----------o0o----------
Nora Aunor shines in her minimalist
portrayal of the subservient wife Shaleha. Aunor indeed is such a master of
minimalist acting, and yet the emotional effect on the audience is tremendous.
Her eyes really do talk, and they talk endless paragraphs of emotions.
Macky Macarayan
Philippines
---------o0o---------
‘Thy Womb,’ Spectacular In So Many Ways
Crispina Martinez-Belen
Philippines
---------o0o----------
‘Thy Womb’ is a moving story shot with
utmost simplicity and realism, but with powerful undertones. It is a showcase
of the beauty of life, love, and faith, and will leave you with a better
appreciation of our Muslim brethren.
Don Rapadas
Philippines
---------o0o---------
I highly recommend Thy Womb as Direk
Brillante explores in it the intricacies of rural life largely through the eyes
of a Badjao midwife, thereby revealing new facets of the plight of Filipino
indigenous peoples.
"Mendoza tackles heavy subject matter
that our society needs to pay attention to, and this does its part in
encouraging other filmmakers to push the boundaries of art and
storytelling.
Loren Legarda
Philippines
----------o0o---------
Scriptwriter Henry Burgos has woven a tale
of unselfish love that is unusually quiet and very cerebral.
Pablo A. Tariman
(Yahoo Philippines)
---------o0o---------
Thy Womb is the kind of movie that doesn’t
explain everything and doesn’t spoon-feed anything. Rather than verbalize, it
visualizes.
Eric T. Cabahug (InterAksyon)
Philippines
---------o0o---------
Mendoza doesn’t spoon feed
by showing how things turn out to
be. He resorts to clues — the body language, the one-liners.
Maridol
Rañoa-Bismark (Yahoo Philippines)
--------o0o---------
In one fell swoop, Mendoza weaves the
personal (one’s notion of selfless love, joy, sadness,) with the cultural (how one’s
actions, choices, thoughts are dictated by the society one is in) and the
national (Tawi-Tawi’s socio-political setting).
Jennifer Dugena and Jocelyn
Dimaculangan (PEP)
Philippines
--------o0o---------
While Brillante Mendoza has wielded his
unconventional directing style to make this film another masterpiece, Nora
Aunor immortalizes on this film her brand of underacting.
Don Rapadas
(Metanoia)
Philippines
---------o0o---------
This is an image we don’t see in Filipino
movies, because in mainstream exploration of extramarital affairs and love
triangles characters talk and talk about nonsense, reducing women as objects
and elevating men as some sort of sex god.”
Macky Macarayan (Death of
Traditional Cinema)
Philippines
----------o0o---------
Unstinted of symbolisms and
unadulterated emotions, Thy Womb is easily one of this year’s most affecting
films as it transcends from the small vicinities of Tawi-Tawi to an engaging
shrewdness and brilliance.
Kikko Kalabud (Hot for Movies)
Philippines
---------o0o----------
While the plot’s development is a bit dragging,
as soon as it hits the high notes with its dramatic parts, it successfully
sustains the momentum, keeping the moviegoers glued until the heart-breaking
end.
Jude Cartalaba (Rappler)
Philippines
---------o0o---------
More than the co-existence
of Muslim and Christian in this otherwise troubled place, Mendoza delivers the
message of unconditional love that was perfectly depicted with the film’s
ending scene: a rather simple shot of the lead actress’ face, but one that
carried a powerful emotion that truly brought the entire film full circle.
Irish
Eden Belleza (Tabloid on Saturday)
Philippines
---------o0o---------
“Mendoza fell in love with Tawi-Tawi and its people and
it shows in Thy Womb: a picturesque, lyrical, appropriately quiet depiction of
one of the most peace-loving peoples in the world – the Bajau.”
Skilty
Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)
Philippines
---------o0o---------
Roco and Poe provide ample support for
Aunor’s silent but intensely immersive portrayal. Nora will break your heart as
her world-weary face lights up at the film’s final fade.
Rito Asilo (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
---------o0o---------
An important movie to
watch. A poetic and romantic work of
art.
Stephanie Mayo (Films and Events Check)
Philippines
----------o0o----------
Nora Aunor is awesome… acting without
acting... No one but no one comes near her.
Renato Constantino [Tempo]
Philippines
---------o0o---------
During moments of deep contemplations, you
will find the joy and sadness, the celebrations and the longings in Shaleha’s
heart through Nora’s eyes. Intense. Triumphant. Make no mistake, Thy Womb is
Nora’s finest hour.
Jonathan Catunao
Philippines
---------o0o---------
“Thy Womb” is an important Filipino film
accompanied by breathtaking acting that leaves a big-time emotional punch.
Chikkaness (Chikkaness Avenue)
Philippines
----------o0o---------
‘Thy Womb’ provided us a glimpse, if not a
total journey, to the innermost being of a woman: of how it is to be one and what
she’s capable of doing in the name of love; a tour into the heart of one
culture people in the outside world failed to see or some of them didn’t bother
to appreciate; a wondrous ride into feeling the core of a portion of the
Filipino race.
Ely Valendez (Ely’s Planet)
Philippines
----------o0o---------
THY WOMB – ito ay isang obrang orihinal at
napapanahon. Pilipinong-pilipino ang tema. Samo’t saring pasabog ang
matutunghayan sa bawat eksena na ngayon mo pa lang makikita sa
pinilakang-tabing.
Colin Dy Tupaz (Pinoy Movie Blog)
Philippines
---------o0o---------
The Womb is not the kind of dramatic film
you see from Star Cinema, Viva or Regal. It is an ethnographic film as Mendoza
introduces us to the culture and tradition of the Badjaos. Aunor is perfect for
the role as she is lost in among the Badjaos, embracing the people’s thoughts
and emotion.
Isah V. Red (Manila Standard Today)
Philippines
