Nuns join the local workers’ strike in De Leon’s most explicitly political work about the oppression of the working-class by brutal capitalists, shot with a universal audience in mind who are aligned with its fervent message of solidarity.
Review #2,598
Dir. Mike De Leon
1984 | Philippines | Drama | 103 min | 1.33:1 | Tagalog
PG13 (passed clean) for some coarse language
Cast: Vilma Santos, Jay Ilagan, Gina Alajar, Laurice Guillen, Tony Santos
Plot: A nun who acts as a counsellor in a home for unwed mothers undergoes a political awakening when her friend and namesake belonging to the same congregation as hers inspires her to get involved in the struggle for justice and freedom of striking workers in a cooking oil company.
Awards: Nom. for Golden Lion (Venice)
Distributor: Regal Entertainment
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – Religion & Politics; Strikes; Working-Class Struggles
Narrative Style: Straightforward
Pace: Slightly Slow
Audience Type: Slightly Mainstream
Viewed: Screener (as part of Asian Film Archive’s Mike De Leon retrospective)
Spoilers: No
For more info on the Mike De Leon retrospective in Singapore:
https://asianfilmarchive.org/event-calendar/retrospective-mike-de-leon/
My survey of Mike De Leon’s filmography continues with Sister Stella L., which is already my seventh film of his. At this point, I’ve come to realise that many of the director’s protagonists love driving the Volkswagen Beetle.
Nick, a journalist in Sister Stella L.,is no exception as he travels to a home for unwed mothers to interview Sister Stella, a nun who used to be his ex-girlfriend.
Nearby, local factory workers stage a strike against low wages and discrimination against the poor. Soon, Nick and Sister Stella would find themselves in the thick of the workers’ strike, echoing its fervent message of class solidarity.
“Don’t meddle in other people’s problems.”
Arguably De Leon’s most explicitly political work, Sister Stella L. was also somewhat controversial for conflating religion with politics. De Leon asks by proxy of Sister Stella: is standing firm with the plight of one’s brothers and sisters a Christian thing to do? Would Christ do the same and partake in the strike against the brutal capitalists?
Shot with a universal audience in mind, De Leon’s film is for the most part accessible and not difficult to grasp. Its anti-capitalist message is clear and concise, though it can be relentless in its political posturing.
Still, there is much to appreciate his courage in making films that deal with the less savoury aspects of society, where the people in power (and their gullible lapdogs) seek to intimidate and threaten those who disrupt their hegemony and question their authority.
Following Kisapmata (1981) and Batch ’81 (1982), Sister Stella L. completes De Leon’s trilogy of power and subjugation, strengthening his case at the time as one of the Philippines’ most fearless filmmakers.
Grade: B+
Eternality Tan 