MMFF 2023: Alessandra de Rossi, Euwenn Mikaell’s ‘Firefly’

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Alessandra de Rossi (right) with Euwenn Mikaell

(We are running this guide to help you plan your movie-viewing activity during the holidays. The 49th Metro Manila Film Festival, or MMFF, Christmas Edition runs from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2024.)

Directed by Zig Madamba Dulay; written by Angeli Atienza; stars Euwenn Mikaell, Alessandra de Rossi, Dingdong Dantes, Epy Quizon, Ysabel Ortega, Miguel Tanfelix, Cherry Pie Picache, Yayo Aguila, Max Collins, Kokoy de Santos; produced by GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs.

“Firefly” opens with the adult Tonton (Dantes) being interviewed by a skeptical journalist (Collins) about winning the National Book Award. There are suspicions that he isn’t really the one who wrote his winning novel. He did, actually. But he couldn’t have done it without his mother. The film then transports us back to 1999 and revisits Tonton’s childhood and his rose-colored memories of life with his mother, Elay (De Rossi). Bullied as a kid, Tonton (Mikaell) always finds himself wishing that he would grow brave and strong. And one way Elay reassures her son is by telling him stories.

Scene from “Firefly” —PHOTOS COURTESY OF GMA PICTURES/ GMA PUBLIC AFFAIRS

One of his favorites is that of a brave firefly that mustered all its light to protect its butterfly friend from a vicious dog on a mythical island. This island is real, Elay tells Tonton. And whoever reaches the island, she said, can make a wish upon seeing the light of a thousand fireflies.

Using “clues” that he thinks his mother left behind in an old notebook, Tonton embarks on a journey to find the island. Along the way, he meets three strangers who join him in his adventures.

“This is my first film where I’m the lead actor. I’m so happy and excited that a lot of people will be able to see it. Now, more people know me. Parang nag-doble po,” Mikaell said, adding that the “Firefly” staff was the best he has worked with. “Ate Alex was funny on the set. And the whole cast was so kind.”

Asked if he thinks his performance would earn him an award, he confidently said: “I think so!” —ALLAN POLICARPIO