It's a gem.
1. It talks about death when no one wants to talk about it. Lola Igna (Angie Ferro) talks about death, her death specifically. She looks forward to her own death. She congratulates living things for dying and wishes them a happy trip when everybody dismisses the topic of death. Everyone digresses when someone asks about the end of life. While everybody was excited of the possibility of her getting the title as The Oldest Living Grandmother, she could not grasp the concept on why is there a need to award someone just because they are old. She is always told, Lola, don’t think about it! Why are you so excited to die?!
Whenever I think of dying, my chest starts to hurt and my lungs feel like they stop to function. That I have to tell myself, Breathe, you are alive. What would happen when we die? Do I believe in heaven? Do I believe in afterlife? Do I believe in hell? What if nothing really exists and we just die – blank – black – then end?
Lola Igna created the dialogue about death and despite everybody fearing about it, the film discussed it positively.
A screenshot from Lola Igna's Trailer: Lola Igna greeting the dead bird with, Buti ka pa, patay na. Maligayang paglalakbay.
2. Life is filled with meaning; so is death. Do you want to die? Why do some people want to die? Should we stop people and our loved ones from dying when it is all that they’ve been waiting for?
Lola Igna has been dying to die. She does not understand how a 118-year old lady like her is still alive when everybody around her, even the younger ones, already left the land. Does it mean she still has her purpose or is it a form of punishment?
Tim (Yves Flores) was no one not until he met Lola Igna, his great-great grandmother. Just like the others, he doesn’t want Lola Igna to leave. He dismisses the wishes of his grandmother but Lola Igna had something special with her, that not even Tim can change her mind.
The end of the film, in Eduardo Roy Jr.’s truest fashion as an auteur, will make you ask questions. What does it mean to die? What does it mean to live? Why do you need to find and meet someone who you may not get to spend your rest of life with? When somebody comes back, as if back from the dead, just to leave again in a snap, does that mean anything? Why would fate bring someone back just to hurt you again? But what if death is also the beginning of a new life? Which perhaps, will make you question yourself and change your mind.
3. Philippine myths and superstitions are rich that they can be part of a good film if done properly. I have watched a lot of Philippine films and movies which are not tagged as horror ones or jump scares, but showed and used different Filipino myths and superstitions as their storyline.
Tikbalang living in your attic? Kapre raping a woman? A nipa hut making love with its owner? A flying coffin running after you? Kapres in a wedding ceremony exchanging their vows of love to each other? You name it and we have it.
While not every film which used myths and superstitions went well, in Lola Igna, they were weaved so perfectly, as if they were real. That somehow, these things that science could not explain, will grow on you and think that maybe, it would happen to you, too.
At first, I thought Lola Igna was just really about the ideals of millennials versus the older generation, which doesn’t sound like Eduardo Roy, Jr. It proved me wrong.
Lola Igna is an entry for Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2019. It won Best Picture (Directed by Eduardo Roy, Jr.), Best Actress (Angie Ferro), Best Screenplay (Eduardo Roy, Jr. and Margarette Labrador), and Best Musical Score (Andrew Florentino). PPP2019 is extended which is why you should catch Lola Igna this week. Find time to watch it. Don’t miss the chance of watching a heartwarming and meaningful film. Lola Igna is a gem.
Lola Igna’s extended schedule:
Lola Igna's Trailer:
Comments
What do you think, Awesome?