Felix Manalo is quite the unwieldy pedestal for such a beloved icon. The film is tight-fisted in its desire to sanctify its subject. It provides no opportunities for discourse except for the immense one its glamorized crafting suggests.
If the purpose of the film is to enlighten, then it has failed miserably because it only persists to reinforce an image that is far too rosy and romanticized to be taken with the same seriousness one affords any other biopic with more balanced perspectives.
If the purpose however is to stir a myth out of a man's life, then the film only succeeds partially, because it only aspires to be understood and celebrated by that section of society where doubt, suspicion and curiosity are frowned upon.
If the purpose of the film is to enlighten, then it has failed miserably because it only persists to reinforce an image that is far too rosy and romanticized to be taken with the same seriousness one affords any other biopic with more balanced perspectives.
If the purpose however is to stir a myth out of a man's life, then the film only succeeds partially, because it only aspires to be understood and celebrated by that section of society where doubt, suspicion and curiosity are frowned upon.