A precious gift that should keep on giving

ABAYA AND LOPEZ. Co-authors of “Reefs of Paradise”.

For months now, we have been praying for the recovery of the acclaimed filmmaker and mentor Marilou Diaz-Abaya, from her latest battle with cancer. Marilou herself has become much more accepting, but we are still less enlightened and wise.

Imagine our delight, therefore, when we went to the CCP  last month to catch “Reefs of Paradise,” the filmmaker’s short but beautifully evocative and inspirational documentary with her cofilmmaker, Dr. Francis Lopez (her oncologist, by the way)—and found Marilou not just in attendance, but in uncommonly fine fettle!

In fact, she beamingly confided to us, she had woken up that morning to a new sensation and wondered what it could be—until she realized that this was the first time in eight weeks that she was feeling no pain.

Edification  

Marilou’s glad tidings thrilled us. We agree with her that her future is in God’s hands, but we love having her in our lives (and hopefully making more great films for everyone’s edification). So, while we know that it’s medically unsophisticated of us to pray for a miracle, we continue to do so.

In any case, the screening of Marilou and Lopez’s “Reefs of Paradise” proved beyond all doubt that hers is a precious cinematic gift that should keep on giving. The short but achingly beautiful underwater documentary introduced viewers to the generally unseen and thus unappreciated wonders of the deep, which they have captured in luminous and evanescent images that celebrate the beauty of God’s heretofore generally hidden creation beneath the sea.

“Reefs of Paradise” is so beautifully inspirational and aspirational that it should be shown on TV, for many more viewers, especially the youth, to delight in and savor.

MARILOU communes with luminously evanescent underwater marvels.

Even better, the documentary is narrated by Marilou herself, and her insightfully expressive voice perfectly complements the production’s lovely visuals with well-chosen biblical quotes that remind us that divine love and the creative impulse are one!

Just a couple of weeks ago, Marilou was unable to attend the special screening at the CCP Little Theater of Lisa Yuchengco’s full-length documentary on her life, times and filmography. The carefully researched production combined interviews with Marilou’s coworkers and fellow artists with choice excerpts from her outstanding movies.

It gave viewers an experiential understanding of the filmmaker’s long and abiding love affair, not just with the cinema, but with the art of life and living as well!