THE HEALING

Directed by Chito S. Roño

Chito Roño’s The Healing tells the story of Filipino culture wherein locals go to faith healers instead of doctors for the treatment of their diseases. At the first glance at its trailer, I really thought it was a remake of “Himala” staring Nora Aunor with a twist. But eventually it was of another story which brought a new taste of Filipino Horror Movie.

CHARACTERS

Seth:                     one of the believers of the faith healer Manang Elsa and eventually help all of the locals who wants to be healed.

Cookie:                 daughter of Seth ex-husband which suffers from Glomerulonephritis.

Jed:                        son of Seth that ask her to help Cookie.

Manang Elsa:     the faith healer.

Alma:                    house servant of Seth who suffer from diabetes.

Odong:                 a local police which has a venereal skin disease.

Cita:                       a Buddhist which has a blind daughter

Kakay:                   the blind daughter of Cita.          

Greta:                   one of the villagers which has a lump on her breast.

Ruben:                 husband of Greta.

Chona:                  has a swollen neck which enables her to talk.

Melchor:              brother of Manang Elsa which informs Seth about Dario.

Dario:                    accidentally brought to life by Manang Elsa which is the reason of the killings.

SYNOPSIS

                                The story starts with Seth (Vilma Santos) who has a father suffering from deep stroke. She brought him to Manang Elsa the faith healer and she was prescribed with herbal medicine and prayers. After a day she was surprised with his father who can completely walk and was healed from head to toe. Jed (Martin del Rosario), Seth’s son was then surprised at his grandfather’s health and was convinced to ask Set to refer his half-sister Cookie (Kim Chui) to the faith healer.  The town people were also surprised about Seth’s father immediate treatment and begun to ask Seth for the referral of the faith healer.

                Seth with her neighbours went to see Manang Elsa and plead her to heal them. The next day, they were all cured with their diseases except for Cookie. After Cookie’s worst condition, she was then cured. Then Seth began to notice the behavioural changes of the ones who were healed. She also experience weird dreams together with her neighbours and she also begun to see vanishing crows whenever she goes.

                After Chona’s death (cured of goitre) Seth started seeing her neighbours’ doppelganger followed by a crow which eventually vanished. As she observed this, her neighbours were killed one by one through the possession of their own doppelganger. The victims become wild and tried to kill whoever they saw and after the brutal killings, they end their own lives.

                Seth found out that the reason of the chain death was Dario (Jhong Hilario). Dario was accidentally brought to life by Manang Elsa and ought to get all the souls in exchange to his life. Seth was so determined to save Cookie that she planned to end Dario’s life but honestly she can’t.  Cookie was then possessed by her doppelganger attacked Seth as she went home, when was about to be killed, Jed save her. Jed was also possessed by the spirit passed by Cookie and both of them tried to strangle Seth to death but Dario was shot dead by Manang Elsa’s brother resulting Cookie and Jed to regain their consciousness and ending the death chain.

POSITIVE POINTS

In Narrative form, the film brought the faith healers back to life. These faith healers are part of our society and are constantly receiving appreciation from locals. In this movie, the film makers incorporate faith and death together which is contrary with each other which brings a twist in the story.

In stylistic form, the symbols used were all clarified and was obviously shown. Like the colors of their dress, the theme of the surrounding and the intense of the effect.

One of the cheated expectation that was shown which added the intensity of the movie is in the part of Kim Chui’s (supposed to be) death.  She was saved from her doppelganger but then eventually have not escape her faith but Dario was killed ending up the chain death.

Emotions shown by the actors and actresses were all portrayed well. This type of Filipino horror movie is not the typical where you will be scared because of intensifying sound effects and overly scary ghost and monsters, but based on the story you might be scared effectively.

The film story is not that complex but because of the excess characters, it might be confusing for the foreigners who will be watching this film.      

CRITIQUING POINTS

 In Narrative form, the film it self engages a lot of characters in the story which made the story more complex. Also, there were characters that were not justified in the story because they were given small importance like Manang Elsa and Dario.

                In Stylistic form, the special effects that were used were all obviously computerized because of ineffective animation.

                The film somehow shares the same plot with the all known American sequel, Final Destination. The films chain death pertains to the all known you-can-not-fool-death and all these friends stuff and premonitions.

There should be a convention of reality here, for there were no chain deaths in the entire history of the Philippines, a massacre probably.

There was also disunity in the symbols like the part when Kim Chui has an enlarge eyeball saying that she was possessed by her doppelganger but eventually it was her doppelganger alone.

RATING