This Chito Roño classic is a political commentary that sheds light upon the dangerous lives of people trying to survive the filth and darkness of a crime-infested city.
With the help of multi-awarded screenwriter Roy Iglesias, Roño crafted a cinematic gem that served as a glaring showcase of the lurid struggles of the oppressed and unwanted in ‘Ang Babae Sa Bintana’. Iglesias is widely known for his work in Ganito Kami Noon, Paano kayo Ngayon? (1976), Yamashita: Tiger’sTreasures (2001), Mano Po (2002), Baler (2008), and Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story (2011). Roño, on the other hand, is responsible for helming various cinematic gems, including Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin (1994), Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara (1995), Dekafda ‘70 (2002), Feng Shui (2004), and Tenement 2 (2009).
Roño and Iglesias worked together in several critically-acclaimed films, including the 1998 semi-erotic thriller, ‘Ang Babae Sa Bintana’, which starred Rosanna Roces, Richard Gomez, and John Estrada.
The film follows Mitch (Gomez) and Jack (Roces)’s forbidden affair.
He is suffering from the depression caused by the departure of his wife. When Jack moves into the house in front of Mitch’s. The latter conveniently find a pause from his emotional suffering by stealing glimpses of the sensual Jack, who unabashedly makes her beauty available to see by standing before her house’s window.
Hopeless and filled with despair, Mitch finds solace in his new neighbor, with whom he immediately finds himself entangled. However, the relief is momentary, as their illicit affair only unknowingly plunges him into a crime-infested world, where Jack’s lover (Estrada), maintains his grip. The next thing he knows, Mitch has already descended to a dangerous dimension, where there seems no escape.
Ang Babae Sa Bintana may largely revolve around the intimate affairs of its leads, but sociopolitical themes are embedded in its narratives very fabrics.
It’s a suspense mystery that shreds chronic and deep-seated societal issues that need to be confronted head-on. How the film makes the nostalgic, dirt-stricken urban landscapes of Manila work, to magnify the danger and chaos that Iglesias’ script wants to convey, is truly breathtaking.
Also part of the cast are on Confiado, Bennette Ignacio, Janice Jurado, Raymond Keannu, Johnny Manahan, Efren Reyes Jr., Lucita Soriano, Eula Valdez. Browse through the photo gallery below to see still photos from the film. Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section:
