Title: Magnifico
English Title: Magnifico
Country: Philippines
Language: Filipino
Year: 2003
Cast:
- Jiro Manio
- Gloria Romero
- Celia Rodriguez
- Lorna Tolentino
- Albert Martinez
- Mark Gil
- Tonton Gutierrez
- Amy Austria
- Cherry Pie Picache
- Isabella de Leon
- Danilo Barrios
- Susan Africa
- Joseph Roble
- Dindin Llarena
- Girlie Sevilla
SYNOPSIS
Magnifico is a sweet nine-year-old boy with a good heart and a helpful nature. His kindness brings joy and optimism to the people around him.
His family is very poor and they could barely make ends meet. His parents hope his older brother Miong will lift the family out of poverty but Miong loses his college scholarship.
His younger sister Helen has cerebral palsy and requires much care. Magnifico intends to get his sister a wheelchair so she can move around with ease.
Magnifico's grandmother Lola Magda has cancer and his parents are worried about the funeral expenses. He gathers scrap wood so that he can build his grandmother's coffin by himself.
REVIEW
Magnifico is about living life in hope, which is admittedly a strange concept to associate with Magnifico and his family, especially considering what happened to them in the movie.
To some extent, this is quite a depressing production. For a poor family who can barely make ends meet, having a young child with cerebral palsy and an elder with cancer just makes it so much harder for everyone on so many levels; emotionally, physically, and financially.
If only Magnifico's family are more financially stable, they could then have the means to find appropriate medical care for their sick and disabled family members. If only Magnifico's family are educated, they would at least be informed about the various means they can utilize to get medical help and financial assistance.
Magnifico is one of my favorite characters of all time because he's quite pure and very positive. When something terrible happens, he doesn't wallow in self-pity or other negative emotions, and instead goes right ahead in thinking about what he could do to resolve the problem. His parents may not think he is smart, but Magnifico is quite emotionally mature and self-sufficient for his age.
I like that Magnifico is making the right choices, despite the fact that it seems much easier for him to make the wrong choices. I like that he doesn't blame other people for making the wrong choices, and he just seems to accept that things are happening as it should.
Anyway, I think Magnifco truly made the world a better place for everyone who knows him. Which is why I hate the fact that he lived such a short life, and he ended up using the coffin he was building for his ailing grandmother.
Despite the movie's themes and considering its awful ending, even I am surprised that I always associate it with hope. I suppose after watching Magnifico live his life, I somehow ended up looking at the world and other people through his eyes.
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Magnifico
