Good movies are defined by good storytelling.
A fíne example is Firefly, which won Best Picture at the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).The film is directed by Zig Dulay, currently a resident director at GMA7, who came to fame by co-writing, with award-winning director Jeffrey Jeturian, the screenplay for Ekstra, a 2013 Cinemalaya entry that starred Vilma Santos and won that year’s Jury Prize Award. His projects at the Kapuso network include the high-rating cultural drama series Maria Clara at Ibarra (2022-2023); and the successful series Legal Wives (2021) and Sahaya (2019).
As a whole, its plot is simple. Poor and bullied boy Tonton (Euwenn Mikaell Aleta) develops a talent for drawing from his single mom Elay (Alessandra de Rossi) telling him the nighttime story of an alitaptap (firefly), which saves a paruparo (butterfly) from a vicious beast.
Conflict arises when Elay dies, leaving Tonton under the care of Elay’s friend, Linda (Cherry Pie Picache).
A scene where Elay reminds Tonton to stay brave even when she is not by his side. PHOTO: Screengrab from Firefly trailer
Tonton goes on a complicated journey, sneaking into a bus alone, and arousing sympathy from three strangers who help him get to the island of Ticao where the fireflies—which his mother always told him can grant his life’s wishes—abound.
Oh come on, the skeptic is bound to say, how can a regular kid convince three very different people each with a colorful history—newly freed convict Louie (Epy Quizon), love-lorn dude Billy (Miguel Tanfelix), and wily blogger Erika (Ysabel Ortega)—to go the extra mile and join him in his seemingly futile search for a magical island?
Tonton’s adventure begins, and along the way he befriends Billy and Erika. PHOTO: Screengrab from Firefly trailer
But, the doubtful should let their guard down. This drama-fantasy, which includes mythical characters like Magayon of the Mayon Volcano legend (Elle Villanueva) as well as beguiling animation, naturally asks the audience to lose themselves in the story by suspending their disbelief.
And it succeeds! This is what makes Firefly shine—that it can make us believe that using our imagination can lead to wonderful things. In Elay’s case, her half-true tale to lull Tonton to sleep sparks the boy’s creativity, which results in his writing the story that wins a national children’s book award.
Dingdong Dantes as the award-winning, grown-up Tonton is the movie’s jump-off point to the flashback that gets the plot moving.
And in the moviegoer’s case, giving in to the imagination before it, alive and huge on the screen, leaves an experience that touches mind and heart. Firefly’s winning factor is the well-written story by Angeli Guidaya-Atienza, which garnered the Best Screenplay award and which is truly pleasurable to follow as it unfolds.In no small measure, this pleasure is also thanks to the engaging performances of its cast, especially of Quizon and Yayo Águila (as his wife Carmen).
That moment when Tonton finally convinces Louie and Carmen to take him to what he thinks is a magical place where he can scatter his mother’s ashes. PHOTO: Screengrab from Firefly trailer
At certain moments, seeing Epy Quizon is like seeing Dolphy resurrected through his son, except that son is crying here.
The animation that transforms the cave in Ticao into the head of a hideous monster and turns Mayon Volcano into the sultry Magayon enhances the inventive elements in Firefly.
Firefly’s CGI animation adds a whimsical touch to the adventure of Tonton. PHOTO: Screengrab from Firefly trailer
Crucial details líke the mysterious body scars on both the young Tonton and Elay early in the movie are illuminated in the climactic scene, where Tonton ends up in the ruins of the house in Ticao where his father had once inflicted harm on his family.
Firefly is worth the PHP400-plus price of a movie ticket, a reasonable way to escape the cares of the day and emerge from the dark, cold comfort of the cinema refreshed by a story of love and hope.
Tonton’s unforgettable encounter with a swarm of fireflies PHOTO: Screengrab from Firefly trailer
And, yes, Ticao Island is real. It is located in Masbate Province and, according to Wikipedia, is “known as an archaeological landscape, possessing thousands of pre-colonial artifacts such as the Baybayin-inscribed Rizal Stone, Ticao gold spike teeth, burial jars of varying designs and sizes, jade beads, human face rock statues, and the Ticao petrographs.”
What’s true likewise is the mention in the movie credits of a script consultant, Rody Vera, who just incidentally co-wrote GomBurZa with MMFF Best Director Pepe Diokno.
Produced by GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs, Firefly runs till January 7.
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