Hinugot sa Langit
| Hinugot sa Langit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ishmael Bernal |
| Produced by | Lily Y. Monteverde |
| Written by | Amado Lacuesta |
| Starring | Maricel Soriano |
| Music by | Willy Cruz |
| Cinematography | Rody Lacap |
| Edited by | Jess Navarro |
| Distributed by | Regal Films |
Release dates | 1985 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | Tagalog |
Hinugot sa Langit (lit. "Snatched from Heaven") is a 1985 Gawad Urian Award winning Filipino melodramatic film directed by Ishmael Bernal based on moral values. It is considered a classic in Filipino cinema and picked up four Gawad Urian Awards.[1] It is about an unwanted pregnancy and issues with abortion and the church.
Plot
The center of the drama is the young unmarried but pregnant Carmen Castro (Maricel Soriano) who during the first few minutes of the film informs her cousin Stella (Amy Austria). Stella scoffs and recommends abortion. The father of the child, Jerry, also recommends abortion. Her over religious landlady Juling (Charito Solis), who is busy juggling her religious aims and her legal quarrel with the poor families illegally living in her land, however strongly suggests that she keep the baby on the grounds that having an abortion would be a sin against God.
Carmen sees signs that would seemingly suggest an answer to her difficult decision. Her poor neighbors struggle for money to feed their children. She sees a physically malformed child vending goods outside the church. She loses her job at a financing company due to the struggling economy during that time.
Carmen eventually decides to have an abortion in a deeply moving scene with close-up shots of the metal instruments used by the doctor to perform it.
Overview
Hinugot sa Langit may be branded as pro-life but in reality, while its focus is that controversial issue, Ishmael Bernal and screenwriter Amado Lacuesta employ a number of minor side stories into the main picture to increase the social hypocrisy in the film. The Philippines being a prominently Catholic nation declare abortion as criminally and morally wrong but the characters surrounding her aren't naturally sure of their own lives. Stella is outwardly happy and wild but inwardly is insecure and lonely. Landlady Juling, whilst attempting to be a saint is riddled with guilt which she tries to forget through her religious practices, forgetting that the world has deeper problems than her past.
Cast
- Maricel Soriano as Carmen Castro
- Al Tantay as Jerry
- Rowell Santiago as Bobby
- Charito Solis as Juling
- Amy Austria as Estella
- Dante Rivero
- Susan Africa
- Jaime Asencio
- Vic Jose
- Crispin Medina
- Tony Pascua
- Mario Taguiwalo
- Leticia Tison
- Ray Ventura
- Aurora Yumul
Soundtrack and cinematography
Thematically sound, Hinugot sa Langit has been praised for its technical and musical merit. The music is sparse and controlled. Bernal foregoes the overorchestrated notion of what a drama should be and instead relies on his visuals and his actors talents to draw out emotions. The cinematography is simple but there are some very atmospheric shots where the lighting, the blocking of the actors, and the framing, contribute to Bernal's atmosphere of confusion and cynicism for this unsure Filipino society. The film was also praised for its acting, particularly Maricel Soriano, Charito Solis, and Amy Austria.
The film won Gawad Urian Awards for Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Sound in 1986.