AICELLE Santos has the most difficult job in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).  She needed to give justice to Nora Aunor’s career-defining role as faith healer Elsa in the classic film “Himala.” 

The 1982 magnum opus featured three eventual National Artists: Aunor (2022), director Ishmael Bernal (2001), and writer Ricky Lee (2022). Since its release, it has ingrained itself into popular culture and has been regarded as one of the greatest Asian films in history. Elsa’s impassioned “Walang himala!” monologue has been oft-quoted by generations of moviegoers. 

Recognizing its importance in Filipino culture, Tanghalang Pilipino brought “Himala” to the stage in 2003, with the most recent production staged by The Sandbox Collective in 2018. The theater adaptation, again written by Lee and featuring music by Vincent de Jesus, is the source material for this year’s MMFF entry, “Isang Himala.” 

Reinventing “Himala” as a musical film is a smart move for director Pepe Diokno, who made waves in last year’s MMFF by reintroducing the martyred priests collectively called “GomBurZa” in an era of historical revisionism.

The vibrancy of the musical performances keeps the audiences engaged despite the sensitivity of the subjects, which include morality and religion. The lead and supporting characters, acting like a choir in a church, effectively reintroduce the town of Cupang and how its people go from blind to lost to renewed faith. In other words, all of them can act and sing.

When Diokno tapped Santos for the tough job of resurrecting Elsa,  the actress-singer was no stranger to the task, having played the lead role in the 2018 production.

Replicating Aunor’s nuanced portrayal of a rural girl who claims to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary will subject Santos to an endless barrage of comparisons. But Santos intelligently employs a key strength of hers to make her performance her own: music.

Santos shines further when tragedy befalls Elsa’s loved ones, raising questions about her faith. With her eyes visibly shaking and fists stabbing the air, the actress transforms the visionary protagonist into a woman who summons all her courage to reveal the truth to her fanatical throng of devotees despite doubt, anger, and bitterness.

“Isang Himala” underscores human fragility. Diokno wisely spotlights two of Elsa’s childhood friends, who expose the consequences of mass hysteria. At times, though, they overpower Elsa, but this is easily forgivable because of the nature of their roles. 

Nimfa (Kakki Teodoro) exploits the rising popularity of Elsa by opening a bar pervaded by immorality. Teodoro stands out among the cast through her depiction of an outcast shattered by moral failings. “Ang tunay na himala ay nasa gitna ng aking hita,” Nimfa belts out in one of her entertaining appearances.

Chayong (Neomi Gonzales) is loyal and obedient — a sidekick of some sort — but her sacrifices are not repaid commensurately. Gonzales is not as aggressive as Teodoro, but moviegoers can empathize with her agony.

David Ezra, who plays the filmmaker Orly, deserves recognition. He is convincing as a documentarist who witnesses the dark and bright sides of Cupang. Orly’s confession to the hometown priest is so intense that spit spews out of his mouth as he delivers his lines. 

Diokno’s MMFF entry does not boast of the sand dunes of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, where parts of the 1982 film were shot, or the 3,000 extras who served as the legions of Elsa’s believers who also witnessed her epiphany and demise. The musical manages, however, to make do in a diorama-like set, effectively evoking desperate townspeople waiting for a miracle from heaven.

Isang Himala” inspires cinema aficionados to believe that the musical genre can compete with formulaic blockbusters, just as the nascent “Himala” inspired the Filipino film industry to believe that it could compete with its counterparts abroad. 

LEAVE A REPLY

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.