De Leon, Kiara Justine C.

2CHEM
HIMALA
Directed by: Ishmael Bernal

Himala tells the tale of Elsa, a simple girl from the village of Cupang. She
says that she has seen the Virgin Mary and then shows the ability to heal the sick.
Soon the whole village has become the center of international attention as people
come from all over for statues of the saints and bottles of the village's holy water.
As Elsa continues to cure people, she has faced several problems along the way.
The spirituality of the Filipinos in the film shows how naive the people are in
that village. They were easily convinced that Elsa can actually heal the sick people
and can perform miracles. I agree that the faith of the Filipinos is bordering on
fanaticism because the people preferred to go to Elsas healing session than to go
to church. Theyve forgotten that there is only one God to serve. Even worst, little
shops selling all kinds of miracle items sprung up. They come to Elsa, drink her
blessed water, which later is even being sold in bottles. They also scattered
banners of Elsa loves you and some of them converted their houses into hotels so
that the foreign or local tourists can have a place to stay.
Faith can never be commodified. It was shown in the film when the apostles
of Elsa prioritize the wealthy people more. Those that can give more donations were
given a lot of attention. On the other hand, the poor had to wait for a long time
outside. It is likewise observed in real-life situations. Like in the Philippines, they
always give special treatment to those who are wealthy. For example, politicians like
Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla were allowed to go out to be with their families
during special ceremonies like graduation and when they have to visit someone in
the hospital. But, the other prisoners will certainly not be allowed to do the same
thing.

Himala is best remembered for Elsas most famous speech delivered on the
hill: "Walang himala! Ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao, nasa puso nating lahat! Tayo
ang gumagawa ng himala, tayo ang gumagawa ng mga sumpa at ng mga Diyos,
walang himala!" That is the line that struck me the most. That line was a beautiful
way for Elsa to cover her errors. What was supposed to be a public apology became
a sermon. However, it is not clearly stated as to whether we create the miracles
through our minds or through the strength of our faith. This line tells us that we
should not always rely on God. When we want to accomplish something, we should
always exert effort and God will do those that are beyond our control.
There are several religious and social issues shown in the movie. While the
crowd around Elsa increased, incidents of alcoholism, prostitution, gambling, rape
and even murder also increased. I think the relationship that exists between societal
condition and spirituality is not good because when Elsa started healing the sick
people, the villagers idolize her and even see her as a God herself. Also the increase
of population in their village increased the crime rate as well. I believe that church
and state should be separated based on the fact that the constitution gives us the
freedom of religion. I recognize the fact that Christianity is the majority of the
population, but we must not forget the fact that there are other religions too. If you
were to be an atheist or a Buddhist, or any other religion, you would not want laws
to be made according to the beliefs of another religion. It would not be fair to those
religions to follow along with a law that might not agree with their beliefs. Imposing
religion through the government would probably do more harm than good to the
faith, cheapening it for believers in a lot of ways. There are many religions in the
world and the government can't be all of them. It is best to keep them separated to
avoid issues within a country.
I personally think that miracles do exist and that without them we wouldnt
be able go on with our lives. I believe in miracles and I think that they happen to
exist every day in my life and in many other peoples lifes around the world. The
experiences that I lived and been through in my personal life have showed me to
believe in miracles and pursue others to acknowledge and take miracles seriously
and not make fun of it like if it was just fake. Believing in miracles has kept me
through a wonderful life maybe not wealthy but happy and valuable.

Himala is a work dwelling on from the falling short of men in the firmness of
their faith to the commercialization of religion to patriarchal societies, Himala shows
the weakness of people to events or acts contrary to the laws of nature; supposed
to be workings of God. In this film, however, it is not the hands of God that controls
the miracles but of the Virgin Mary of which indicates the idea of polytheism and the
attempt of women to escape male dominance.
Elsa is the one that claims to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary above a hill
at the town's borders. Soon she is associated with healing the sick. She shows the
image of a common Filipina and knows how to draw mass sympathy. Nimia is the
close childhood friend of Elsa. She has returned from Manila where she escaped
prostitution. With the number of people visiting the town, she puts up a club, which
surely serves more than song and dance. Orly seeks to make a name for him with
footage of Elsas miracles. Mrs. Alba organizes healing and prayer sessions of Elsa.
Chayong and Sepa are the good friends of Elsa which is also one of her Seven
Apostles.
The film was accorded both national and international recognition because
they were able to portray the trials of a third world country living in ignorance and
passivity, and the sacrifices a woman has to bear in an androcentric world.