Magnifico is a 2003 Philippine coming-of-age drama film directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes from a story and screenplay written by Michiko Yamamoto. Starring Jiro Manio, Lorna Tolentino, Albert Martinez, and Gloria Romero, the film revolves around a titular child character who decides to design and build a coffin for his grandmother as well as raise funds to buy a wheelchair for his younger sister who has cerebral palsy.

Produced and released by Violett Film Productions, the film was theatrically released in the Philippines on January 29, 2003. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from film critics, with praise for its story, Jiro Manio's acting performance, emotional weight, and acclaim from various international film festivals and award-giving organizations.

Plot In a small town in the province of Laguna, one special boy changes the lives of everyone he meets. Known to all as Magnifico, his nickname is Ikoy, a child of an impoverished family. His father works odd jobs, his elder brother (Miong) has lost his academic scholarship, and his mother spends her days caring for both Helen, a young daughter who has cerebral palsy, and for her husband's aging mother, who lives upstairs in the family home and has diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Magnifico is a sweet and well-intentioned boy, who is often berated by his father for his stupidity, an unkind assessment for a child who is considerably more clever than anyone gives him credit for.

Magnifico's world is filled with a cast of characters in need of his special gifts of hope, determination, and love. There's the grief-stricken man who mourns for his mother; two feuding shop owners; the crabby old woman who runs the mortuary; his elder brother, who has a crush on a wealthy girl; his little sister, who wants to get out and experience the world but cannot walk; and his own ailing grandmother, who worries that the family won't be able to afford a proper burial for her when the time comes.

Nonetheless, Magnifico applies himself diligently to the task, concocting a remedy for the mortician's ailments, playing matchmaker for his love-struck brother, industriously scheming to provide a burial gown and coffin for his grandmother, and negotiating a wheelchair so he can take his invalid sister to the carnival. Seeking nothing for himself, with his undaunted dedication to bringing joy to the people he loves, Magnifico somehow manages to find just the right solution to fill every need. And when the night of the big carnival arrives, his efforts pay off in spades.

Magnifico attempts to cross the street and instead gets fatally hit by a car one afternoon. Gerry, Edna, and Lola Magda mourn for their loss, and they rest him in the coffin he had originally crafted and intended for his grandmother. At his interment, Magnifico's family, friends, and the people he has touched are present as the community shares a tearful moment for his undying generosity.

Cast Jiro Manio as Magnifico: The titular 8-year-old child protagonist Lorna Tolentino as Edna: The mother of Magnifico and his siblings Albert Martinez as Gerry: The father of Magnifico and his siblings Gloria Romero as Lola Magda: Magnifico and his siblings' grandmother, Edna's mother-in-law, and Gerry's mother Celia Rodriguez as Ka Doring: The mortician Mark Gil as Domeng: The man whose mother dies Tonton Gutierrez as Ka Romy: Gerry's boss and Isang's father Amy Austria as Tessie: Cristy's enemy and a sari-sari store owner Cherry Pie Picache as Cristy: A sari-sari store owner and Tessie's enemy Danilo Barrios as Miong: Magnifico's college-aged older brother Susan Africa as Pracing: Carlo's mother Isabella De Leon as Helen: Magnifico's younger sister who has cerebral palsy Dindin Llarena as Ria: One of Magnifico's friends Joseph Roble as Carlo: Magnifico's best friend Girlie Sevilla as Isang: Miong's girlfriend and Ka Romy's daughter John Romano as Ria's Father Dido De La Paz as Foreman Allyson VII Gonzales as Makoy: Miong's peer David Granado as Tessie's Husband Scarlet as Teacher Jojo Vinzon as the gay friend of Tessie Dan De Guzman II as the teacher of Magnifico

Production The screenplay, written by Michiko Yamamoto and which won first place in the scriptwriting contest, was inspired by her grandmother. Scenes from the film were shot in Pagsanjan, Laguna.

Release The film was first released in the Philippines on January 29, 2003, and received endorsement from the Department of Education. It was later given a release at the international film festivals including the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on July 11, as one of its official entries; Fukuoka International Film Festival in Japan on September 13, under the Asian Panorama section; and Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on November 14.

Reception Accolades Award Date Category Recipient Result 54th Berlin International Film Festival February 5-15, 2004 Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film Magnifico by Maryo J. de los Reyes Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk 52nd FAMAS Awards April 17, 2004 Best Picture Magnifico Best Actress Lorna Tolentino Best Supporting Actor Mark Gil Best Supporting Actress Celia Rodriguez Best Child Actor Jiro Manio Best Child Actress Isabelle de Leon Best Director Maryo J. de los Reyes Best Story MagnificoStory by Michiko Yamamoto Best Theme Song "Ang Aking Munting Bituin" by Gary Valenciano 27th Gawad Urian Awards June 19, 2004 Best Film Magnifico Best Director Maryo J. de los Reyes Best Actor Jiro Manio Best Supporting Actor Albert Martinez Mark Gil Best Supporting Actress Gloria Romero Isabelle de Leon Celia Rodriguez Girlie Sevilla Lorna Tolentino Best Screenplay MagnificoScreenplay by Michiko Yamamoto Best Cinematography Odyssey Flores Best Editing Manet A. Dayrit Best Production Design Gerry Santos Best Sound Arnold Reodica 22nd FAP Awards July 3, 2004 Best Picture Magnifico Best Director Maryo J. de los Reyes Best Actor Jiro Manio Best Supporting Actor Mark Gil Best Supporting Actress Gloria Romero Best Screenplay Magnifico Screenplay by Michiko Yamamoto Best Musical Score Lutgardo Labad Best Sound Arnold Reodica 34th Gawad Urian Awards May 17, 2011 Best Films of the Decade (2000–2009) Magnifico by Maryo J. de los Reyes

Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Domestic Lito B. Zulueta, writing for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, described the film as a "first really good movie of 2003", with praise towards its screenplay, where screenwriter Michiko Yamamoto "expertly endows a contemporary and even positivistic flavor to the traditional miracle story" and Maryo J. Delos Reyes' serious direction from the original material. He also commended the cast's performances, including Jiro Manio, Gloria Romero, Albert Martinez, and Lorna Tolentino.

International Time Out called the film an "undistinguished gentle comedy that turns into an astoundingly saccharin melodrama". Film critic Vincent Musetto, writing for the New York Post, praised the film for its "well-made" story as well as the acting performances of its lead actors, particularly child actor Jiro Manio. He also commended Delos Reyes' direction and Yamamoto's screenplay for evoking a range of emotions in the audience.

Ferdinand Lapuz, a foreign correspondent for Ricky Lo's entertainment column "Funfare", informed the columnist about the review of the film by film critic Norman Wilner for "Metro" in Toronto, Canada. Wilner's review said that "Magnifico is one of those films in which a decent soul struggles against enormous odds to bring some comfort to the people he loves. It's a melodrama, but it's honest about it".

References

External links

Magnifico at the British Film Institute