REVIEW: 'MAID IN MALACANANG' IS PLAIN, SIMPLE FAMILY DRAMA
By Stephanie Mayo Darryl Yap’s Maid in Malacañang is surprisingly gentle. The vitriol surrounding it is unnecessary. It’s true to its plot: the last 72 hours preceding then beleaguered President Ferdinand Marcos and his family’s fleeing the Philippines that brought the February 1986 Edsa Revolution to a fitting conclusion. It does not aim to invalidate the abuses of the martial law that happened under the Marcos administration, or create further division in the country, or incite a political debate. It doesn’t even have the mocking and sardonic comedy of the Len-Len series which Yap likewise directed, and it doesn’t attempt to educate the audience about history. For the first time, Yap does a straightforward, somber drama —far from the typical, cuss-induced, cheeky writing of his previous movies. It’s not even political. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF fb.com/vincentiments CESAR Montano as former President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Yap zooms in on the Marcoses’ emotional and mental state in thei...
