Christmas in the Philippines means we’re generally treated with Jose Mari Chan, holiday supermarket baskets/bundles, and more. But it’s also this time that the movie theaters are cleared of international films and replaced with a selection of locally made pieces — also known as the Metro Manila Film Festival.

This year marks a special celebration as MMFF is now in its 50th iteration, showcasing Philippine cinema at its best with 10 feature-length films — all with varying genres, concepts, and executions, too. On a personal level, the lineup did not disappoint, and I enjoyed every one of them to different degrees.

Out of the 10 features, these were the 3 in particular that stood out to me.

Isang Himala

Isang Himala is a musical drama directed by Pepe Diokno, a well-known name in the industry. Notably, it was co-written with none other than Ricky Lee, National Artist of the Philippines and also one of, if not the most prolific Filipino screenwriters of our time.

Isang Himala itself is also based on the same theatrical play, which in turn was based on the original 1982 film Himala, directed by Ishmael Bernal. And all iterations are written by Ricky Lee himself.

Is this perhaps what you would call a remake? Adaptation? Regardless, I treated Isang Himala as its own piece, and it righteously is its own compelling narrative, taken to the modern big screen.

As much as the original is a very nuanced and powerful film, with an extraordinary performance by Nora Aunor, 2024’s Isang Himala still maintains its impassioned story of a barrio lass who becomes a faith-based healer through religious zeal and opportunistic townsfolk. And don’t let the fact that it’s a musical fool you; the themes and imagery can be very mature. And very haunting.

The musical aspect of Isang Himala is also strengthened by the same theatrical cast of 2018’s Himala; Isang Musikal. Delivering what I like to think is a near equivalent of a performative Greek tragedy, each character is grounded and molded by the circumstances with the town of Cupang being a newfound tourist attraction that is Elsa and her divine ability to heal.

The film and story may feel like a period piece but there were many parallels to how individuals could and would react to miracles in the modern time.

Although with the beautiful cinematography, set pieces, and almost other-worldly stage, Isang Himala does come with a slightly ambitious runtime, stretching out more of the music than of the drama.

Nevertheless, scenes such as Nimia’s cabaret song, the confrontation between three old friends, and the ultimate finale make Isang Himala quite the unforgettable experience in this year’s MMFF. I wish it ends up getting future theatrical/streaming releases in the hopes of being able to watch it one more time.

The Kingdom

I personally love films and series that encapsulate themselves in world-building, especially the “what-if” types. The Kingdom, which stars A-listers Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual, is probably the first type of “what-if” film that hits the mark. In a timeline where the Philippines had never been colonized, how would it be as a nation standing on its own?

Of course, the most important part of any world-building is the setup of the how and why, and although The Kingdom doesn’t give an expository prologue of the history of the world, it manages to cement its background as we go along the story. For which I do admire the courage to do so.

The opening depiction of the Philippines, called Kalayaan in this timeline, is governed by a monarchy chosen through the bloodline of Bathala — a famous Filipino deity taken from the indigenous religion of Ancient Tagalogs. You can sense the research that went into the film with the inclusion of smaller, finer details such as the tribal tattoos signifying class and clan, the omission of Christian/Anglo names for characters, and even the bladed weaponry used. It really made the world feel as lived in as it could.

Although Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual are center stage as the leading characters, Sid Lucero brings great depth as Bagwis — the slightly inept but strong-willed son of Vic Sotto’s Makisig, current ruler of Kalayaan. At times, the dialogue may be self-serving of exposition and flare, but nothing is too overdrawn to take you out of the film.

My biggest issue is the action sequences that may have had a great set-up but failed to really bring in any form of excitement as they played out. Yes, The Kingdom isn’t an action film per se, but with the set pieces building up to some of the climactic fight scenes, every one of them left a lot to be desired.

I was especially taken out of it during a supposed big set piece of a grand fight with dozens of fighters being nothing more than a tussle, at least how I saw it.

Regardless of the shortcomings, The Kingdom was definitely a different foray for a Filipino film and can set up a benchmark for future offerings of “what-if” storylines.

My Future You

Once in a while, I try to move out of my comfort zone of films to sit down and watch something that’s completely left field. My Future You just so happens to be that film this year that for all its intent and purposes, wouldn’t have been something on my watch lis.. But despite that fact, I was in honesty quite impressed with its execution.

My Future You features love team Seth Fedelin and Francine Diaz in a story that involves a time-bending dating app, making them realize that besides distance, there’s far more that separates them. As much as the premise makes it seem like an ordinary fare into the teeny-bopper romance that has been told and re-told before, I personally admire how well executed the film was with the use of clever shots and actor blocking to bring a fresh “dating through a digital medium” approach.

Much more than that, the time-bending added humor to the initial stages of the characters wanting to meet. Call me a sucker for cutesy anime-inspired narratives, but it did work up to a point.

What was hard for me was just the fact that the cutesy anime-inspired dialogue did want me to squirm now and then. But considering the audience this film was made for, that warm and ‘kilig’ feeling is well and live in My Future You.

Would I watch it again? Perhaps not. Would I recommend it as a film for a younger nephew/niece to bring their first date to? Absolutely.

Other aspects of the film, such as the familial plots of each character, just add to make this film feel as Hallmark as it can be. As a family-oriented film, My Future You ticks all the boxes as a film that you’d want to watch in the merriment of the Christmas season.