One of the best movies of MMFF 2024 and one of the best Filipino movies of 2024 deserves its flowers.
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Seemingly every MMFF, we get a movie that punches above its weight despite the odds, making a space for itself in the conversation to keep up with the bigger movies. In MMFF 2024, that movie is arguably Isang Himala. Its presence in the festival lineup was already noticeable even before the screenings began with how it was a movie musical adaptation of a musical based on the legendary 1982 Filipino film Himala. And when people finally got to see it, the acclaim was real. But despite the praise the film has been getting, you wouldn’t have guessed it with the way it’s being treated commercially, and that’s a real shame if we’re being honest.
A TRUE MIRACLE
Isang Himala follows the relatively same beats as the original 1982 classic. But in case you aren’t familiar with the source material, the movie tells the story of Elsa, a young woman from Baryo Cupang, who claims to have been visited by the Blessed Virgin and granted the power to heal the sick. As people flock to be healed, the once-quiet town gets consumed by faith, prosperity, greed, and deceit.
This reimagined take hits the marks as an excellent movie musical. The acting ensemble gives their roles justice with riveting precision, and it’s a nice touch that most of the cast are returning to the roles they played in the 2018 musical, proving once again that Filipino theater actors can keep up if not surpass their movie and TV counterparts. The songs hit with an emotional gravitas befitting of the movie’s storied legacy and narrative.
The set and production design, while noticeable for being filmed on sets, gives the movie a unique POV with how it feels like you’re in the middle of the action of a musical on stage. The film’s ever-poignant themes still resonate to this day, with the fact that whenever something good happens in this country, greed and corruption are usually not far. The way Elsa gets taken advantage of, and even she participates in her own image-making, points to the many trappings of humanity.
Isang Himala also has the awards to back up the hype. It was the second most nominated film at the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival’s Gabi ng Parangal, where it ultimately took home five awards including Fourth Best Picture and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Kakki Teodoro.
SUPPORT ALL FILIPINO CINEMA
So, with all that, you’d think the movie would have its fair share of theaters, right? Sadly, no. Despite the acclaim and accolades, Isang Himala is just barely registering in the number of cinemas at just less than 20 nationwide. How is a movie as good as this getting paid dust? And what makes it even worse is that it’s happening during MMFF, a time when every cinema in the Philippines (except 4DX and IMAX) is playing Filipino movies.
Obviously, you can’t force people to watch something they don’t want to, and many factors go into this business. There are movie theater owners who decide the movies to book in their cinemas that align more with commercial interests, the continuously high ticket prices, and the hard truth some people who may be interested in movies like Isang Himala won’t watch it because of their bias against Filipino movies.
But it also needs to be said that there needs to be a point where we don’t always have to rely on word of mouth and asking cinemas for specific movies because this isn’t the first time acclaimed Filipino movies had to fight just to stay in cinemas. And no, that doesn’t mean we blame other Filipino movies for taking up all the space. Supporting Filipino movies doesn’t mean tearing down other movies and local creatives.
While there’s no one answer to solve this problem, there can be steps done to make it fairer for all genres to take up space. Make Filipino movies more accessible to audiences, and that includes lowering ticket prices. There should also be more government support for the local industry, especially during government-run festivals like MMFF. And let’s stop, especially the powers that be, judging local movies without giving them a fair shake.
Movies as good as Isang Himala should not be under constant threat of being removed from cinemas on a daily basis. So, go watch Isang Himala if you’re interested in seeing the special modern production, and support other Filipino movies in MMFF while you’re at it. As we enter a new year, hopefully, all aspects of Philippine cinema will get the respect they deserve.
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