Isang Himala tells the rise and fall of Elsa, a young lass from the hopeless and barren Barangay Cupang that was said to witness an apparition of. The musical was an adaptation of the 2018 theatrical play of the same title that was based and a reimagined version of the classic 1982 film “Himala” starring Nora Aunor, directed by Ishmael Bernal, and written by Ricky Lee.
I would like to start by saying that the movie was actually good, it was not as draggy as the original “Himala”, maybe thanks to the music of Vincent de Jesus that made the movie alive, although I like the over all musical score of the movie I am not a fan of the electric guitar that was used to open scenes and songs I find it not fitting to the over all feels of the movie, this is not Rak of Aegis.
Cinematography wise, I would like to commend how beautiful this film was shot, the camera angles used, each frame was meticulously done to create depth to every scene. I also love the color grading and the lighting that was used to bring every scene to life despite having a limited set design.
The actors were the heart and soul of this movie. Kakie Teodoro's portrayal of Nimia was exceptional; she ate everyone up and left no crumbs. She even overpowered Aicelle Santos who played Elsa, why? It's because she was able to create more life to the character's already feisty, unbothered, and rebellious character that spiced up not only her story, but the whole movie.
Although like I said that the actors were the heart and soul of this movie, they are also a factor why this movie is hard to sell, Isang Himala lacked star power. Watching the movie I was clueless as to who plays who, I mean it's hard to follow and familiarize every character and story if you don't know who plays them. I will be honest here, among the cast I only know Aicelle Santos, Bituin Escalante, and Victor Robinson, I only knew who plays Nimia when Kakie Teodoro won the Best Supporting Actress, the rest are from the theater.
I mean it's hard to market a good movie if the audiences aren't familiar with the people in the movie.
Another thing that I am not satisfied in Isang Himala is the set design, although yes I believe that shooting inside a studio is more cost efficient than shooting in real locations, I kinda felt like it killed the vibe of the movie, a movie shouldn't locked it's audiences up in the four corners of the screening, it should bring them to where the story is happening, I would've to see Elsa in a real Barangay Cupang and not just a set.
Also, I hoped that they could’ve twisted the story and brought Elsa in a more modern or present day setup.
Overall, Direk Pepe Diokno was able to push the boundaries in his storytelling to give his audiences nothing but the best, despite the limitations with set the story was delivered well with a different touch.
Rating: ⅗
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