Shackled by Circumstance: A Sociological Analysis of Marginalization in Ma' Rosa
- deskvalor
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
By: Dirk Ian Diamante
Introduction
Shackled by circumstance, people in impoverished communities are pushed to participate in illegal activities as a means of survival. Such a harsh reality is heavily depicted in Ma’ Rosa (2016), an action drama film directed by Brillante Mendoza. The film, written by Troy Espiritu, tells a story about a mother who sells drugs by using her small convenience store as a cover, only to be arrested along with her husband and face police corruption to seek freedom. With Rosa’s children left behind, they began to face many challenges in their daily lives, seeking ways to save their imprisoned parents.
Ma’ Rosa serves as a stark portrayal of how these widespread issues impact the marginalized in Philippine society. With the use of a sociological approach, the film can be explored to discern how economic or financial struggles force people to resort to illegal means.
Body
In the film, the story revolves around Rosa and her family, living in poverty while owning a small convenience
store. The store, however, also acts as a place where people buy drugs, which Rosa resorted to due to their circumstances. In need of money to support her family, Rosa carried on operating this illegal business until one of their customers was detained, which alerted the police.
With the ongoing war on drugs campaign, Rosa and her husband were arrested. Instead of following the legal
process when it comes to investigation and court proceedings, the police demanded a bribe in exchange for their release.
To free their parents from imprisonment, Rosa’s children began to find ways to earn money. The children’s
struggle to acquire 200,000 pesos exposes the systemic corruption within law enforcement, as they are forced to pay the bribe money in order to free their parents, highlighting the harsh reality of poverty where acquiring such a large sum is nearly impossible for the underprivileged (Conde, 2023).
Ma’ Rosa explores critical issues such as poverty, the war on drugs, and police corruption, particularly bribery
and extortion, which remain common in the Philippines. The film highlights the financial struggles of the underprivileged, as well as the exploitation of the higher power by those caught red-handed.
Critical Analysis
Through a sociological lens, The film revolves around the main theme which is poverty, the one mostly
responsible for every action and decision Rosa and her family have made. Rosa’s actions are conveyed as desperation, seeking to escape poverty by all means. The film depicts the daily life of the underprivileged, showing how they resort to illegal means in order to survive. The film follows a linear narrative, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves in the continuous sequence of events. The use of a desaturated palette in the film also reflects the harsh realities of the characters' lives. The natural and low light in the film emphasizes their situation, reinforcing themes such as struggles and oppression. Using a handheld camera, the film showed a documentary-like effect, immersing the viewers in the chaotic environment of the film.
While the film offers a realistic approach, the slow pacing may make it less engaging for the viewers. In addition,
the absence of a proper resolution may leave the viewers wanting a more comprehensible ending. Although the film prioritizes Rosa and her family, supporting characters such as the corrupt police show a lack of depth when it comes to writing, which is evident due to the absence of personal backgrounds as well as motivation.
The film reflects real-life scenarios in relation to the film such as trying to escape poverty. People desire to climb
up the hierarchy and escape from systemic poverty where people are trapped in a place where the legal means of income are hard to come by (Perfas, 2024). In addition, the film raises critical questions regarding the war on drugs campaign, mostly about its effectiveness. The film revealed how such approaches fail to address the root causes, such as economic hardship (Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’ | Human Rights Watch, n.d.). Ma’ Rosa shows the real-life challenges that they face by portraying those who have been imprisoned. Despite the legal process of detainment, their arrest slowly turned into an extortion scheme, using bribery in exchange for their freedom (Scweb, 2024). The film sheds light on the systemic corruption within our country, emphasizing how bribery and extortion are embedded within law enforcement, contributing to the decay of the justice system from within (“Philippines: Police ‘Drug War’ Killings Need Independent Probe,” 2022).
Conclusion
Ma’ Rosa effectively portrays the struggles of poverty, corruption, and the war on drugs, immersing viewers in
the harsh realities faced by the underprivileged. Through its raw cinematography and documentary-like approach, the film highlights how economic hardship forces people into illegal activities while exposing deep flaws within the justice system. The desaturated palette and handheld camera work enhance its gritty realism, drawing audiences into its chaotic world. However, the film’s slow pacing and underdeveloped secondary characters leave some aspects unexplored. Despite this, Ma’ Rosa remains a compelling social commentary, shedding light on systemic corruption and sparking critical discussions on societal issues.
REFERENCES LIST
Conde, C. H. (2023). “Our happy family is gone.” In Human Rights Watch.
Perfas, F., PhD. (2024, June 3). Poverty, addiction, and criminality. Philippine Daily Mirror.
Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’ | Human Rights Watch. (n.d.).
Philippines: Police ‘Drug War’ killings need independent probe. (2022, October 27). Human Rights Watch.
Scweb. (2024, January 2). SC affirms conviction of police officers for robbery by extortion. Supreme Court of the Philippines.
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