i actually really really love this, i am the perfect audience member for this. i love that it didnt stray to the source material but they instead built it up more, they gave more screen time to aling saling, nimia, and chayong, i love that we get to hear more of their story and their inner turmoils. im also really obsessed with how the set is designed like its a theater stage, the lighting and the cinematography is so so beautiful as well. the acting and the singing from every single one of the actors are incredible ESPECIALLY the women. some of the songs didnt hit quite hard but there are also the songs that do and when they hit, they hit so fucking hard i thought i’d start floating. kakki teodoro deserved that best supporting actress win so fucking much, what a highlight in this film. but ofc who would forget abt aicelle santos’s performance, her going from a philippine singing diva to a theatrical actress is some of the best decision ever made, shes so fucking good!  im kind of stupid for realizing this just now but the vision she saw of the virgin mary having a gunshot wound is quite literally her seeing herself. and that last sequence is so much sicker than the og bcs wdym she just died and her mother is mourning but they literally pull elsa out of her mothers arms just so they can pass her around and keep the illusion that she’s some sort of a miracle my god.  overall what an incredible incredible watch, more more more of philippine movie musicals plspslspls! lastly, IS THAT NORA AUNORS VOICE AT THE END?!?)?