Santa Santita
Encyclopedia
Santa Santita, or Magdalena, The Unholy Saint, is a 2004 Filipino
film starring Angelica Panganiban
and Jericho Rosales
, directed by Laurice Guillen
. The film follows Malen, the daughter of an intercessor, her love affair with a hustler and gigolo, and her confrontation of the evil within her life. Based on a script by Jerry Gracio, the film was picked up by Guillen in 2000 but did not start production because an appropriate actress for Malen could not be found. After picking Panganiban, Guillen began work, and the eventual film was released on November 17, 2004, in the Philippines and March 11, 2005, internationally. Receiving good reviews from Variety and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Santa Santita was one of only two films to be rated as Grade A by the Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines, and represented the Philippines at the Asiaticafilmediale festival in Italy and the Bangkok International Film Festival
.
in Manila
. Selling religious charms as a way of meeting men, Malen falls for Mike (Jericho Rosales), a gigolo and hustler. Mike hustles both for his own survival and that of his son, but also because "he knows essentially he's just strong enough and unscrupulous enough" to do so. After her mother takes umbrage at Malen's assumed promiscuity, she moves out of Chayong's house and stays with Mike. When her mother then dies of a heart attack, Malen feels guilt and becomes an intercessor despite having previously sworn the profession off. Initially met with mistrust by her colleagues, one of whom exclaims that "She is defiling prayer", Malen heals a child with a hole in its heart through her prayers, despite not even praying seriously. This meets with additional hostility, both from the other intercessors and the clergy, and when Malen dreams of having stigmata
, she is forced to confront the problems with her own life, something which comes to a climax when she is asked to bring Mike's dead son back to life. A side plot involves Father Tony (Johnny Delgado), an alcoholic priest who lives with Mike. Initially his drinking partner, Mike begins to taunt the priest about his failures as the film goes on. At the end of the film, Mike is sent to prison for killing a man after a traffic accident, while Tony's interactions with Malen convince him that he is addicted to alcohol, prompting him to return to his parish and continue serving as a priest.
, who bought the script (the first time in her career that she had done so) and signed on to direct the eventual film. The script was brought to Star Cinema
, who became interested in producing it, but production stalled due to difficulties finding an appropriate actress to play Malen. Guillen stated that "Since she was a Magdalene, she had to be sexy but she also had to be much more than that....I was shown many sexy actresses, some of them name stars, but I couldn't find my Santa-Santita. I felt that the role should go to someone relatively new, who had no fixed image, so that there would be no expectations". An additional problem was over the religious content of the film, which met with controversy. Guillen eventually found Angelica Panganiban to play Malen, and after five years without production, work on the film began for Unitel Pictures International, whose CEO stated that "the majority of Filipinos, the so-called masses, are not the targets of this movie. Those who frequent the cineplexes and look for fresh material in the movies are". The title, Santa Santita, translates as "saint who is not really a saint".
The scenes were primarily shot in Quiapo, Manila
, church scenes were recorded in Iguig
and dream sequences in Currimao, Ilocos Norte
. Guillen noted the stress of recording in Quiapo, due to the large number of extras, the already crowded nature of the area and the small size of the time periods during which they were allowed to film in the church itself.
, San Diego and Honolulu on March 11, 2005, as Magdalena, The Unholy Saint. It was given good reviews by both Filipino and American magazines and newspapers; Variety
magazine's reviewer noted that "Performances are solid, and former child actress Panganiban is impressive as a young woman who finds herself with a vocation she never asked for.... Guillen's helming is slick and confident, and the HD-sourced photography and other technical credits are of good quality", and the Philippine Daily Inquirer
reported that "Gorgeously crafted, 'Santa Santita's' strength lies in its illuminating take on man's neverending search for meaning, and in the thoughtful, truthful characterization of its leads".
Other reviewers were more cautionary; the New York Times wrote that "the aim of the filmmaker seems unclear, with Magdalena at first celebrated for her humanness and then exalted for her sudden saintliness" and describing the story as "wearyingly eventful". The Manila Bulletin
noted that while the film is about belief (or lack thereof) in miracles, "the effort to explore this issue is not brought into fulfilling fruition. We keep on hoping something else more significant would happen later in the film to invoke the viewers own feelings about faith and an all-seeing, all-merciful God, but this never comes". Although Rosales and Panganiban were praised for their acting, the reviewer felt that there was "just no combustible chemistry between the two of them".
The Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines gave the film a Grade A rating, making it one of only two films to qualify into that category at that point, and the only film to qualify in 2004. This rating gave Santa Santita a 100 percent rebate on amusement taxes, and is only awarded to films that the Board feels can "revitalize the moribund industry". The movie represented the Philippines at the Asiaticafilmediale festival in Italy, and was also shown at the Sine! Sine! Film Fest in San Francisco. It was a finalist in the Catholic Mass Media Awards, and represented the Philippines at the Bangkok International Film Festival
.
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
film starring Angelica Panganiban
Angelica Panganiban
Angelica Panganiban is a Filipina film and television actress and comedian.-Early years:...
and Jericho Rosales
Jericho Rosales
Jericho Vibar Rosales, is a Filipino cinema and television actor, singer, and songwriter....
, directed by Laurice Guillen
Laurice Guillen
-Early life and acting career:Guillen studied at St. Theresa's College, Cebu City, before working on a Masters in Mass Communication at Ateneo de Manila University, followed by a television production course under Nestor Torre, in 1967. She then began work as an actress, starring in productions of...
. The film follows Malen, the daughter of an intercessor, her love affair with a hustler and gigolo, and her confrontation of the evil within her life. Based on a script by Jerry Gracio, the film was picked up by Guillen in 2000 but did not start production because an appropriate actress for Malen could not be found. After picking Panganiban, Guillen began work, and the eventual film was released on November 17, 2004, in the Philippines and March 11, 2005, internationally. Receiving good reviews from Variety and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Santa Santita was one of only two films to be rated as Grade A by the Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines, and represented the Philippines at the Asiaticafilmediale festival in Italy and the Bangkok International Film Festival
Bangkok International Film Festival
The Bangkok International Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to film screenings, seminars, gala events and the Golden Kinnaree Awards.-First years:...
.
Plot
Malen (Angelica Panganiban) is the daughter of Chayong (Hilda Koronel), a widowed intercessor at Quiapo ChurchQuiapo Church
Quiapo Church, officially known as Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, is a Roman Catholic church located in the District of Quiapo, Manila, in the Philippines. The church is one of the most popular churches in the country. It is home to the Black Nazarene, a much venerated statue of Jesus Christ...
in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. Selling religious charms as a way of meeting men, Malen falls for Mike (Jericho Rosales), a gigolo and hustler. Mike hustles both for his own survival and that of his son, but also because "he knows essentially he's just strong enough and unscrupulous enough" to do so. After her mother takes umbrage at Malen's assumed promiscuity, she moves out of Chayong's house and stays with Mike. When her mother then dies of a heart attack, Malen feels guilt and becomes an intercessor despite having previously sworn the profession off. Initially met with mistrust by her colleagues, one of whom exclaims that "She is defiling prayer", Malen heals a child with a hole in its heart through her prayers, despite not even praying seriously. This meets with additional hostility, both from the other intercessors and the clergy, and when Malen dreams of having stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
, she is forced to confront the problems with her own life, something which comes to a climax when she is asked to bring Mike's dead son back to life. A side plot involves Father Tony (Johnny Delgado), an alcoholic priest who lives with Mike. Initially his drinking partner, Mike begins to taunt the priest about his failures as the film goes on. At the end of the film, Mike is sent to prison for killing a man after a traffic accident, while Tony's interactions with Malen convince him that he is addicted to alcohol, prompting him to return to his parish and continue serving as a priest.
Cast
| Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Angelica Panganiban Angelica Panganiban Angelica Panganiban is a Filipina film and television actress and comedian.-Early years:... |
Malen | |
| Jericho Rosales Jericho Rosales Jericho Vibar Rosales, is a Filipino cinema and television actor, singer, and songwriter.... |
Mike | |
| Hilda Koronel Hilda Koronel Susan Reid, who is better known as Hilda Koronel , is a FAMAS and Gaward Urian Award winning Filipina actress... |
Chayong | |
| Johnny Delgado Johnny Delgado Johnny Delgado , born Juan Marasigan Feleo, was an award-winning Filipino television and movie actor and writer.... |
Father Tony |
Production
The script was written by Jerry Gracio, influenced by the poem The Hound of Heaven, and won first prize at the scriptwriting competition hosted by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in 2000. This attracted the attention of Laurice GuillenLaurice Guillen
-Early life and acting career:Guillen studied at St. Theresa's College, Cebu City, before working on a Masters in Mass Communication at Ateneo de Manila University, followed by a television production course under Nestor Torre, in 1967. She then began work as an actress, starring in productions of...
, who bought the script (the first time in her career that she had done so) and signed on to direct the eventual film. The script was brought to Star Cinema
Star Cinema
ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. , is the wholly owned film production subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation. It is the Philippines' largest film production, producing most of the highest grossing films in the Philippines.-1994:...
, who became interested in producing it, but production stalled due to difficulties finding an appropriate actress to play Malen. Guillen stated that "Since she was a Magdalene, she had to be sexy but she also had to be much more than that....I was shown many sexy actresses, some of them name stars, but I couldn't find my Santa-Santita. I felt that the role should go to someone relatively new, who had no fixed image, so that there would be no expectations". An additional problem was over the religious content of the film, which met with controversy. Guillen eventually found Angelica Panganiban to play Malen, and after five years without production, work on the film began for Unitel Pictures International, whose CEO stated that "the majority of Filipinos, the so-called masses, are not the targets of this movie. Those who frequent the cineplexes and look for fresh material in the movies are". The title, Santa Santita, translates as "saint who is not really a saint".
The scenes were primarily shot in Quiapo, Manila
Quiapo, Manila
Quiapo is a district and city square of Manila. Referred as the "Old Downtown", Quiapo in known for where cheap buys or goods are being sold at rock-bottom prices and was the home of the Quiapo Church, where the feast for the Black Nazarene is held, with over millions of people attending...
, church scenes were recorded in Iguig
Iguig, Cagayan
Iguig is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 26,096 people in 4,159 households.-Barangays:Iguig is politically subdivided into 23 barangays....
and dream sequences in Currimao, Ilocos Norte
Currimao, Ilocos Norte
Currimao is a 5th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 11,305 people in 2,126 households...
. Guillen noted the stress of recording in Quiapo, due to the large number of extras, the already crowded nature of the area and the small size of the time periods during which they were allowed to film in the church itself.
Release
The film was previewed to good reviews, and after an initial release in the Philippines on November 17, 2004, opened in cinemas in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, San Diego and Honolulu on March 11, 2005, as Magdalena, The Unholy Saint. It was given good reviews by both Filipino and American magazines and newspapers; Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine's reviewer noted that "Performances are solid, and former child actress Panganiban is impressive as a young woman who finds herself with a vocation she never asked for.... Guillen's helming is slick and confident, and the HD-sourced photography and other technical credits are of good quality", and the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
reported that "Gorgeously crafted, 'Santa Santita's' strength lies in its illuminating take on man's neverending search for meaning, and in the thoughtful, truthful characterization of its leads".
Other reviewers were more cautionary; the New York Times wrote that "the aim of the filmmaker seems unclear, with Magdalena at first celebrated for her humanness and then exalted for her sudden saintliness" and describing the story as "wearyingly eventful". The Manila Bulletin
Manila Bulletin
The Manila Bulletin , is the Philippines' largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation, followed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It bills itself as "The Nation's Leading Newspaper", which is its official slogan...
noted that while the film is about belief (or lack thereof) in miracles, "the effort to explore this issue is not brought into fulfilling fruition. We keep on hoping something else more significant would happen later in the film to invoke the viewers own feelings about faith and an all-seeing, all-merciful God, but this never comes". Although Rosales and Panganiban were praised for their acting, the reviewer felt that there was "just no combustible chemistry between the two of them".
The Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines gave the film a Grade A rating, making it one of only two films to qualify into that category at that point, and the only film to qualify in 2004. This rating gave Santa Santita a 100 percent rebate on amusement taxes, and is only awarded to films that the Board feels can "revitalize the moribund industry". The movie represented the Philippines at the Asiaticafilmediale festival in Italy, and was also shown at the Sine! Sine! Film Fest in San Francisco. It was a finalist in the Catholic Mass Media Awards, and represented the Philippines at the Bangkok International Film Festival
Bangkok International Film Festival
The Bangkok International Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to film screenings, seminars, gala events and the Golden Kinnaree Awards.-First years:...
.