Allan C.

Patulot Humanities

BSA 2-1

Title:

Magnifico
By: Maryo J. De los Reyes

Characters:

Jiro Manio as Magnifico Lorna Tolentino as Edna Albert Martinez as Gerry Gloria Romero as Lola Magda Celia Rodriguez as Ka Doring Mark Gil as Domeng Tonton Gutierrez as Ka Romy Amy Austria as Tessie

Cherry Pie Picache as Cristy Danilo Barrios as Miong Susan Africa as Pracing Isabella De Leon as Helen Dindin Llarena as Ria Joseph Roble as Carlo Girlie Sevilla as Isang Jon Romano as Ria's Father

Synopsis: Magnifico is a heartrending film about a Filipino boy whose love and sense of mission changed the lives of those around him. Summary:
The film starts with the birth of Magnifico. It was Gerry, his father, who gave the name Magnifico because he enjoyed watching a magician by that same name. The story actually begins when Magnifico turned nine. His brother, Miong, has just lost his much-needed scholarship from a university in the capital city Manila. This was a heavy blow because Gerry pinned his hopes on Miong to save the family from poverty. His grandmother, Magda, who lives with Magnificos family, figured in a serious accident and had to be hospitalized. In the hospital it was discovered that Magda had pancreatic cancer. This was another backbreaking blow because part of Gerrys meager income would now go to medical expenses. As if these problems were not exasperating enough, Magnifico sister Helen had cerebral palsy, which rendered her incapable of self-mobility and comprehensible speech. Burdened by such seemingly insurmountable difficulties, Edna lustily sighed, life is a never-ending misery. But whole throughout the film life proved to be a series of small marvels. When Magnifico heard whispers that his grandmother Magda would soon die and that his family was incapable of shouldering the sky-high burial expenses, he innocently devised a secret plan. Employing the help of

his school buddy Carlo, he covertly began constructing a wooden coffin. For materials he asked scrap wood from a local woodcarving shop and borrowed carpentry tools from his neighbors. And together with Carlo, he sold iced water and juice at the town carnival, hoping to collect money enough for his grandmothers funeral dress, flowers, and tomb. When their two plastic jars emptied, they ended u p with 306 pesos (about 4 euros) in their hands. However this was way too low, considering that he needed at least 30,000 pesos (roughly 400 euros). Yet Magnifico never lost hope. Nor felt bad. He was determined to fulfill his mission even if he had to sell iced water and juice until kingdom come. For aside from toiling for her grandmas wake, he was also saving for her sister Helen. He promised to bring her to the town carnival so she could have a colored balloon and enjoy the merry-go-round and other fun rides. Since Helen could not walk, Magnifico resolved to use his money to rent a wheelchair from Domeng. On the day Magnifico and Helen would go to the carnival, Magdas illness worsened. And since his parents had virtually nothing, Magnifico had to part with his 230 pesos to buy the requisite medicines. Armed with less than a hundred pesos in his pockets but with a lot of determination, Magnifico brought Helen to the carnival by carrying her on his back. The neighbors who saw Magnifico and Helen at the carnival showed them compassion. A guy who used to bully Helen for laughs drove them there. Two feuding neighbors each gave them 100 pesos for tickets to the rides. One ticket controller admitted them without charge, another gave them a huge discount and a vendor gave Helen a free balloon. Magnifico brought Helen around. He showed her the cotton candies, the ice cream, the works. Helen had the time of her life. When Domeng saw Magnifico hauling Helen on his back, he understood why Magnifico wanted to rent his wheelchair. Moved by what he witnessed, Domeng decided to give his wheelchair to Magnifico for free. So he arranged for Magnifico to get the wheelchair from his house. On his way to Domengs house, Magnifico was hit by a car and died instantly. The colorfu l coffin he built for his grandmother became the chest in which he was buried.

^^^^^ Inay (Lorna Tolentino) speaks for many when she says, ''Life is a never-ending misery.'' But she has special reason to complain in this modest but engaging Filipino tear-jerker. Her 7-year-old daughter, Helen (Isabella de Leon), has cerebral palsy, has never spoken a word and requires as much care as an infant. Her teenage son (Danilo Barrios), the smart one who was going to lift the family out of poverty, has lost his scholarship and come home from Manila to an uncertain future. Her other son, 9-year-old Magnifico (Jiro Manio), doesn't show much promise

beyond being a really sweet kid. Her beaten-down husband (Albert Mart?z) has been working on the same Rubik's cube for a year. And she has just learned that her mother-in-law, who lives with them, has pancreatic cancer. That's one more helpless person to care for, and they have no idea where they're going to get the 30,000 pesos or so (several months' salary for a schoolteacher, we are told) it will take to bury her. But the hopefully named Magnifico, in the tradition of omniscient innocents in international films, is determined to help -- and to charm everyone the way movie characters occasionally do, just by treating impending death matter-of-factly. He sets out to earn enough money for his grandmother's funeral, buy her a beautiful white dress to be buried in and gather enough scrap wood to build the coffin himself. (The coffin ends up being put to another use.) And if that isn't enough, he needs to buy a wheelchair for Helen, so she can go to the carnival and ride the carousel. No wonder he isn't an outstanding student. Who has time for homework? This drama isn't as maudlin as it sounds, thanks to the leading actors' fine, understated performances. Maryo J. de los Reyes's direction is sometimes extreme, and the Tagalog screenplay by Michiko Yamamoto (who won a scriptwriting contest with this) is marred by unlikely minor miracles and almost unbelievably cold adults (unless the English subtitles are gross oversimplifications). But this melodrama works, in its fashion. At this year's Kinderfilmfest at the Berlin Film Festival, ''Magnifico'' received the Crystal Bear, the prize for best feature chosen by a jury of children. ANITA GATES

Climax: The climax of the movie is when Magnifico was hit by the vehicle and died. Message: Most of the time, this is what we do, we focus on the problem and not in the solution. Trust in the Lord with All your heart, lean not on your own understanding. Our Lord Jesus Christ is bigger that any problem. Lesson: Love your family. Do everything that is good for your love ones. And also dont use others for your own sake.