When I first saw the trailer of "Lola Igna" about an ill-mannered, foul-mouthed old woman, I did not think I would like it at all. However, it was directed by Eduardo Roy, Jr., an up and coming name in indie film directing for critically acclaimed films like "Pamilya Ordinaryo" and "F#*@bois." Furthermore, it took home four major awards during the awards night last Sunday, including Best Picture, Screenplay, Musical Score and Actress (for Angie Ferro). Needless to say, it is a must-watch.
Lola Igna (Angie Ferro) is Ignacia Rivera. She is now 118 years old. She lived alone in the hut where she lived with her late husband Carias. Her granddaughter Nida (Maria Isabel Lopez), grandson-in-law Eddie (Jojo Riguerra) and great-grandchild Bok (Royce Cabrera) looked out for her needs. Formerly a busy midwife, Lola's daily routine now merely included going out to the rice fields to scare birds away by shaking a system of ropes with tin cans.
One day, Mayor Gustavo (Soliman Cruz) of her remote agricultural community decided to nominate Lola for the title of "Oldest Living Grandmother" at the "Amazing People of the World" awards. This created a media frenzy which resulted in tourists visiting Lola Igna's house to visit her and take selfies with her, unwanted attention that she detested. One of those city folk who visited Lola was a young man named Tim (Yves Flores), who turned out to be the son of her long-estranged granddaughter Ana (Meryl Soriano).
Completely owning the title character in her first leading role after 60 years in show business, Angie Ferro will grow on you as Lola Igna. Her Lola won't be easy to like at first with her frank cantankerous nature. However, after getting to know her more during the film through the eyes of Tim, her latter scenes will bring you to tears. By the end, you will eventually love this woman as if she was your very own great-grandmother. Yves Flores as Tim also grew a lot in the duration of his bonding with his dear Lola-lola whom he never even knew before. Flores effectively created a character we can all identify with as he brought us along on Tim's arc.
Maria Isabel Lopez and Meryll Soriano may feel miscast as sisters since they are 25 years apart in real life. Casting Jojo Riguerra as Lopez's husband made me imagine a convoluted May-December, sister rivalry story line (which did not materialize). Anyhow, after a while, the casting choices did not matter as everyone gelled together as a screen family. Even the minor characters in the community made their mark, like Peewee O'Hara as the store owner Senya, Joel Saracho as the faith healer Rene, and especially Armand Reyes as the elderly bachelor Gusting.
What we see in the trailer and read in the synopsis is really just the tip of a delightful iceberg. The film began very slowly, familiarizing us with Lola Igna's daily routine upon waking up, from her chamber pot ritual to her fly-infested breakfast. However, once the main story got underway, there was so much more to tell than just Lola's life story. Aside from the evocative drama within her family, the film also comments on rural politics, folk superstitious beliefs, as well as on social media phenomena. It was like an update on "Himala," but lighter, peppered with a generous sense of humor.
And just when you guess the story is already bound to go one way, writer-director Eduardo Roy, Jr. throws you another curve ball. This bittersweet film is beautiful cinematic storytelling. 8/10.
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