The Magic of Kindness and Hope That Lit Up Firefly [MMFF Thoughts]

Photo from Firefly's Teaser 

Edited a bit. I only saw the trailer and teaser today because I had to take a screenshot.

You will not see a score or rating here, because I have felt that rating systems by numbers (those with xx out of xx) don’t really explain why. Like the pain scale of 1 to 10! I also believe that we have our own viewing experiences, so what might not work for me may work for you and vice-versa. So don’t let film reviews or thoughts hinder you from experiencing the joy (and even the stress) of cinema. Let’s continue to create dialogues and exchange thoughts. That’s the beauty of it.

There was something about Firefly that made me tear up. Not just once or with tears hanging by my lashes (which normally I can totally stop), but a couple of times. With tears finally loosening their grip from the strands.

I rarely cry in movies, but when I do, I hate that I cannot articulate or pinpoint the specific why. But let me try this time.

I have always said I’m a sucker for children’s stories, of myths or folklore. And I really like them when they are in text, but for some reason, most of the films I’ve watched that try to weave these elements together in visuals just don’t land for me. I believe there’s a certain effort to make it work. Firefly, among the few, made it work. It was like reading a children’s story (which really was the origin) but transitioned successfully into a film.

There was nothing special in the film, which made me question myself why I cried and was hoping for Becky & Badette as a saving grace to give me laughs in exchange for the tears I shed. But the joke’s on me, I was still on the verge of crying as I settled on my seat, with the intro of Becky & Badette playing on the screen. And even after I left the cinema after the comedy film, I still felt like crying. So, I hope you get the intensity I am trying to convey. LOL.

Firefly follows a story of Tonton (Euwenn Mikaell) and a children's story of her mother, Elay (Alessandra De Rossi), a fable, about the island of fireflies. This story will usher you to the young boy’s adventure of searching for the island so he can wish the lights to make him brave. The question is, Is the island even real, or was it just a metaphor like how children's stories go?

It’s almost the same question I have as Tonton started his adventure. In real life, would it even be possible to have a set of strangers, who don’t even know each other at all and just happened to be connected with a piece of commotion, help a child who, again, they don’t even know? In real life, if you saw Tonton and learned his story, would you embark on a trip with him to an unknown island using just a colorful drawing of a map, without streets or directions? The least you would probably do is to report a missing child to the police.

It's very hard to believe a set of strangers will pool in efforts and go the extra mile (literally) to help a child, another stranger, who even lied about a certain point in his life.

But I guess that's it. The film made it real. The film made it feel it is possible to happen.

Everything in it was so mundane, a slice of life. The everyday life of mother and child, a child being bullied at school, then a road trip with strangers. It won’t ignite an uprising or a revolution. It won’t ask you to grip your seats and hold your breath. It doesn’t shout. It’s not even loud. It doesn’t even have the sudden Whoa! or Oomph! that will soon slide you to its denouement.

There’s nothing special in it, but it sparked… hope. Hope that there are still kind people in this world. Hope that one day, we’ll remember we’re already brave. Hope is a dangerous thing, they say, but the film showed that despite all the dangers it entails, like a terrifying, rabid dog, you’ll eventually find it, perhaps starting to cover unfading scars—with people who you don’t even know caring for you.

The film was star-studded, with veterans leading the younger ones. But it goes without saying that it’s the nuances in Alessandra De Rossi’s acting coupled with Euwenn Mikaell’s, despite being a newcomer, that set the tone of a compelling story. Elay’s love for Tonton transcended the screens as if there was no barrier between them and the audience. I also liked the way the road trip didn’t feel like a tourism ad for the country. It was subtle, sure. The shots and editing were beautiful; didn’t need any extra drama of close-ups or slow-mos. But what I really liked the most was how they weaved the story of these places in Bicol. Are these stories real for the locals? Where did they get the idea? Do they call Magayon the fairy with a long green skirt and a crown? Do they believe they have a sleeping stone giant? Do they also call that island or cave an open-mouthed island? It was such bliss! (Direk Zig said the writer, Angeli Guidaya-Atienza from i-Witness, might have been inspired by her research about the same island.)

I have loved Zig Madamba Dulay’s work, both in writing and directing (I caught and watched Huling Halik and Unfriend. Yeah! Let’s go way back!) — Oh, it’s a Zig Dulay film? Take my money! I especially loved Black Rainbow. But loving also means seeing where it lacks. LUH?!

It’s quite unusual to watch a film of his that doesn’t tackle social issues on quite a scale. This makes Firefly different from his past works. Well, it actually did, but it wasn’t the main focus of the story (see Loulie’s storyline). But if there’s one thing I’d like to point out which I think the film could already veer away from, I agree with other reviews saying the framing device or Dingdong Dantes and Max Collins’ scenes can be let go (apart from the ending).

I can forego all other misses I have observed in this film, like the grainy drone shots (which I am unsure if it was our cinema or really the clip file) and the lack of character depth of the supporting actors sans this one — the framing device broke the experience. As I mentioned to someone (despite Dingdong’s applaudable acting), Naiiyak na ako o umiiyak na ako, biglang pasok close up ni Dingdong. Also, it didn’t make sense to me why Collins was accusing (or relaying the accusation) that Tonton plagiarised. Is the children’s story literature landscape like that in real life?

But despite all that, with all the tears I shed (and haven’t shed but want to escape), Firefly remains magical. Its message made up where it lacked. And I hope you get to experience its magic and light, too. Because magic can be real.