User Reviews

The last time Unitel Pictures released a film it was the award winning Crying Ladies, which took in many awards during the Metro Manila Filmfest of 2003. Well the company has made a rather drastic change for it's next project in Santa Santita. Here we see a more dramatic film with a more serious storyline. This time it is Laurice Guillen who is directing this movie.

My very first reaction when I found out that Angelica Panganiban was to star and given the plot I thought that she was miscast due to her age. But to my surprise she is already 18 and therefore fit the profile. It seemed only yesterday that she was playing kiddie roles and it was quite a shock to see her in such a mature role. Overall I think she did a good enough of a job. There were times that she was found lacking but overall it was OK. There were also some good performances from the other characters in the film. However it seemed as if the other characters such as Sister Dolor seemed out of place or to a degree completely useless.

In terms of the storyline, I was rather interested to see how events would play out given that this theme on faith healing and religion is a largely unexplored here in the country. I thought the storyline was interesting enough. I just wish they had emphasized more regarding the "powers" of the lead character as they only presented a few examples of such.

With Guillen at the helm of the film you can expect that there would be a very strong aspect to the film. That's certainly just what we got in the film.

The trailer for this film presented itself as a supernatural tale revolving around a stubborn young woman who develops the ability to make prayers come true with a heavy emphasis on the supernatural elements. The film never lives up to the considerable promise of the trailer. The focus of the film is all over and at times lacking. Malen's, the lead character, transition from stubborn teen to miracle worker to doubt laden person is never explored adequately. At times, it seems the film is deliberately side stepping the issue. There were side stories that are not even delved in as well. The mom and the priest's stories and progression are barely focused upon. The ending also didn't give closure to Malen's situation and her assessment of it while the film shifts its focus on a minor character. The film had multiple opportunities for a subtle filmmaker to showcase socioeconomic portrayals and critique. Guillen avoids doing so and I don't hold it against the film or the filmmaker itself. Ultimately, Santa Santita never lives up to its gripping trailer that promises so much. Honestly, if not for Panganiban's pretty face, I would have given this a 2 or 3.5 rating.