Aicelle Santos, director Pepe Diokno on portraying faith in ‘Isang Himala’

Aicelle Santos as Elsa in MMFF 2024 entry “Isang Himala.” Image: Courtesy of CreaZion Studios

Aicelle Santos and filmmaker Pepe Diokno believe that one of the core themes of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2024 entry “Isang Himala” is the portrayal of faith and blind worship, which can be seen in the case of Elsa and the townsfolk of Cupang.

“It’s still relevant. ‘Isang Himala’ is about faith and blind faith,” the film’s director INQUIRER.net in a one-on-one interview. “Today—if we were to count the time since the release of the 1982 movie—lagi tayo naghahanap ng sasalba sa atin. Lagi natin ine-externalize ang ating pag-asa at kinabukasan (we always look for someone who can save us. We always rely on external methods in seeking hope for our future).”

“Isang Himala” is a marriage of the 1982 film “Himala” starring Nora Aunor and “Himala: Isang Musikal” which was written by Ricky Lee and composer Vincent de Jesus, which was first staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in 2003. It was restaged by multiple theater productions years later, with Santos taking on the role of the titular Elsa in 2018 and 2019.

Its premise remains the same. After claiming that she saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary, Elsa takes charge as a faith healer of Cupang, where she was touted as the “miracle (or himala)” of the drought-stricken Cupang.

“I don’t know why we haven’t changed. Or maybe we have changed, but just a little bit. But I think that’s the reason why stories like this need to be told and retold in different ways and art forms,” Diokno said. “That’s the reason why films are so powerful because it gives us new perspectives.”

Aicelle Santos in a scene from MMFF 2024 entry “Isang Himala.” Image: Courtesy of CreaZion Studios

Agreeing with the writer’s question, Santos said doing the film reminded her of how the public relies on a sole being as a source of hope and misfortune. “Naghahanap pa rin tayo ng hero. Naghahanap pa rin tayo ng sisisihin. Naghahanap pa rin tayo ng sasalba sa atin.”

“But since the story has many people, makaka-identify ka kung sino ka,” she continued, hinting at how blind faith would be portrayed through its key characters. “Ikaw ba si Elsa? Ikaw ba si Chayong? Ikaw ba si Nimia? O si Igme? Ang dami. And with this version, I think mas nakilala ang bawat karakter, hindi lamang si Elsa.”

(We all look for heroes. We all look for someone to blame. We’re still searching for someone who can save us. But since the story has many people, you can identify what kind of person you are. Are you Elsa? Are you Chayong? Are you Nimia? Are you Igme? There are so many of them. And with this version, I think you’ll have a chance to know each character apart from Elsa.)

Being a mother also played a crucial role in allowing Santos to understand what the film stood for. The film portrays Cupang as a town of residents desperate for change, resulting in their blind worship toward Elsa, which in turn, took time for the actress-singer to understand that change starts within themselves.

“How is change gonna happen? Who will do it? It’s me. I will prepare my future—and others too. But how? Tulong-tulong. Hindi naman pwedeng nasa isang tao lang (Let’s help each other. We can’t just rely on one person alone),” she said.

“But yeah, it will take a generation or more to have these big changes. But I hope we get to see it, or at least our children get to see it,” she continued.

Staying faithful and unfaithful

According to Diokno, one of his memorable encounters with the Nora Aunor-starrer was seeing it for the first time in film school. “It left such a mark on me,” he said while recalling that he also watched “Himala: Isang Musikal” sometime in 2018 and 2019.

“When you watch the original film, there are a lot of silences. It’s not a very dialogue-driven film,” he said. “So [Ricky Lee and Vincent de Jesus] were thinking, what if we add songs in those silences? What if we bring out Elsa’s true feelings and thoughts, as well as the other characters, through song? For me, that changed completely how the story is presented.”

With this in mind, Diokno hoped that the “goosebumps” he had while watching the film and musical would be felt by the audience in the MMFF 2024 entry. “I was left with so many thoughts and emotions that I needed to process with the people I was with. That’s the same experience that we like to give to audiences.”

Santos, on the other hand, said she made an effort to “stay faithful” to the script despite her experience with the character. “I still printed the script. I still put notes. Kasi importante kilalanin kung sino talaga si Elsa (Because it’s important to know who Elsa truly is),” she said.

Allowing herself to fully immerse into researching her character allowed Santos to find the balance between herself and Elsa.

“On researching the character, I tried to marry the experiences I had as Aicelle. I believe that Aicelle and Elsa have a lot of things in common. So putting those things together, I was able to revive Elsa in ‘Isang Himala,’” she shared.

Aicelle Santos in a scene from MMFF 2024 entry “Isang Himala.” Image: Courtesy of CreaZion Studios

When asked how Diokno was able to marry film and theater in creating the MMFF 2024 entry, he shared that National Artist Ricky Lee (who served as the screenwriter of the 1982 film and musical) gave him a “free space to reimagine the ending.”

“I’m very, very grateful kay Sir Ricky that he allowed us the space to reimagine that ending. We’re both faithful and unfaithful to it. And when we showed the first cut to Sir Ricky, I was very nervous showing him the ending. Especially that it opens conversations on several issues. This is not just about looking for a hero,” he explained.

Like an excited fangirl, Santos gleefully hinted: “It’s the most beautiful ending.”

Apart from Santos, the cast includes Bituin Escalante, Floyd Tena, David Ezra, Neomi Gonzales, Kakki Teodoro, Vic Robinson, and Joann Co.