Review - Magnifico

Magnifico is a 2003 Filipino FAMAS Award-winning drama film directed by Maryo J. De los Reyes, written by Michiko Yamamoto, and starring Jiro Manio, Lorna Tolentino, Albert Martinez, Gloria Romero. The film was shot in the province of Laguna and is based on the grand prize-winning piece from a 2001 national screenplay writing contest sponsored by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

 

Plot

A couple begins to lose hope and courage when faced with life's adversities - a daughter who suffers from cerebral palsy, a son who loses his scholarship, and a young boy named Magnifico or Ikoy, who is not so good in school.

But Ikoy has a good heart and a large spirit that allows him to give joy to hopeless people in their community and magically transforms their lives for the better. When Ikoy's grandmother is discovered to have stomach cancer, which has reached the last stage, he sets out to provide her with a proper funeral when the time comes for her passing. However, hardships arise to accomplish his task and he is ultimately left with an ironic fate.

 

Review

Magnifico is a film where a viewer falls in love with the characters and the way they fight just to live. Magnifico or Ikoy, is a boy who’s heart is big beyond measure and who’s thoughts are nothing but kind. The movie truly changes the way a person looks at life.

Something as small as a carousel ride, or the smile of a sibling, or even an embrace of a grandmother begin to feel more important than the regular concerns of life. The viewers get to really see the realistic life conditions people face and how they face it.

The story's plot is complicated but simple enough for people to relate to it. It's heartwarming but at the same time heart wrenching. It's a movie that provides a sense of deep sadness yet fill each viewer with the same hope Magnifico has.

It's an amazing film of  kindness, generosity, death, chance, forgiveness, and love.