Isang Himala: A cinematic miracle

Isang Himala is Pepe Diokno's faithful and unfaithful reimagining of Ishmael Bernal's 1982 classic Himala.

- BUM D. TENORIO, JR.

Isang Himala is Pepe Diokno's faithful and unfaithful reimagining of Ishmael Bernal's 1982 classic Himala. With aplomb, thespian Aicelle Santos reprised National Artist Nora Aunor's iconic role of Elsa, a foundling and single maiden who claimed to have experienced a Marian apparition in the godforsaken town of Cupang. It was in the same place where she performed her so-called faith healing.

The film was the only musical entry in the 10 films that competed in the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival. Musical films, shown to a public that's not accustomed to the genre, are always a dicey attempt. Isang Himala did not do well at the tills. (The film was shown in a limited number of theaters, mostly in VIP cinemas, like at the Powerplant Cinema in Rockwell, where a movie ticket costs P600.)

"It could be that the Filipino audience is not so familiar with the musical as a film format," explains Patrick Flores, a film critic and professor of Art Studies at UP Diliman, on the performance of Isang Himala in theaters.

"Or that Himala as a reference is remote from the current audience. Or that it did not have popular elements it could build on like a recognizable plot or well-known performers," Flores added. Isang Himala had theater actors essaying excellent performances in the film.