Review: Song of the Fireflies is Buoyed by Stellar Performances

(SPOT.ph) Song of the Fireflies stars singer Morrisette as teacher Alma, who founded and conducts the Loboc Children’s Choir in Loboc, Bohol. It is 1981, and she gets caught up in the ambitions of Equet Butalid (Rachel Alejandro), wife of the governor, who wants the choir to win the National Music Competitions for Young Artists, or NAMCYA. Though the choir has the talent, Alma bristles at the demands of the rich, classically trained Equet, who seems to only desire the prestige of winning, and cares little for what these kids are going through.

There’s an odd rhythm to this movie, often feeling like entire scenes were excised from the story. It feels like we’re just missing bits and pieces, the plot moving forward without really ever establishing its characters or its conflict. Still, what’s there is also oddly charming, much of it buoyed by memorable performances from a very talented cast, and driven ultimately by an earnestness that offsets the patchwork construction.

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Song of the Fireflies delivers the sweetness

It’s the sweetness that makes the biggest impression. There’s just a lot of it to go around. There’s the whiff of first romance between the characters played by Krystal Brimner and Noel Comia Jr. There’s the general sense of friendship and support from Alma’s co-teachers.

There’s also the depiction of an idyllic childhood in Bohol, far away from urban bustle, within a community where everybody knows each other, and shares in everyone’s triumphs. In spite of the haphazard structure of the story, the movie punches through with these strong impressions of kindness and humanity.

And then there’s the singing. Here is what is undeniable about the movie: the songs are beautiful, and they are performed really well. Most of the kids are actually from the Loboc Children’s Choir, and they are clearly singing their hearts out. Maybe we don’t get to know them very well, but when they’re singing it hardly matters. They latch on to the emotion of the music, and the story just gets a lot simpler: here are these kids thrust into a spotlight, and they let their voices be heard.

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Sharing one’s gifts to the world

Having said all that, it can still be difficult to buy into the movie as a whole. There’s just a lot that one needs to forgive, with much of the movie feeling like it lacks a unified vision. There is, for example, a sudden montage in the middle of the film that edits together scenes from television from 1981, along with footage taken from protests during Martial Law. While one can appreciate the sentiment that people ought to be reminded of the conditions during the time this film is taking place, it feels awfully out of place. There are scenes later on that also reference the presence of the ruling family, and it just muddles things further, making it feel like the movie doesn’t actually know what it wants to say.

But Song of the Fireflies can still leave one with a positive impression. Though the scenes don’t fit so well together, they are individually staged really well, and still manage to convey some soaring sentiment about what it is to come from humble beginnings and share one’s gifts to the world at large. It will just occasionally land on a moment of earnest emotion that stirs the soul, and will then follow it up with a choral performance that even out of context might draw tears of admiration. Song of the Fireflies feels weirdly compromised, but it still manages to harness the uniquely Filipino relationship with music to generate warmth and feeling.

Rating: 3 stars 

Song of the Fireflies was slated to premiere at the Manila International Film Festival.