These wunderkinds of music
Song of the Fireflies is a cinematic tribute to the extraordinary journey of the Loboc Children’s Choir, composed mostly of children from nine to 13 years old who are residents of the bucolic Bohol town.
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Song of the Fireflies is a cinematic tribute to the extraordinary journey of the Loboc Children’s Choir, composed mostly of children from nine to 13 years old who are residents of the bucolic Bohol town.
Morissette Amon and the Loboc Children’s Choir.
Gardy Labad, Alma Taldo and Morissette Amon.
Noel Comia Jr.
Morissette Amon
Photograph courtesy of Morissette Amon/FB
After viewing King Palisoc’s Song of the Fireflies, produced by Culturtain Musicat Productions with MQuest Ventures, it becomes clear why it swept the 2025 Manila International Film Festival with multiple honors wins: Audience Award for Best Picture, Best Actress (Morissette), Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Alejandro), Best Supporting Actor (Noel Comia Jr.) and a Special Award.
It also won the Platinum Remi Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. The motion picture screamed “excellent” — every aspect of it, narrative, direction, cinematography, music, technical and production values and the acting, of course.
Frankly speaking, what boggles the mind is that the annual audiences of the Metro Manila Film Festival was robbed of the chance to view the film during the holidays and why the judges who chose the top 10 films in last year’s MMFF did not deem it a worthy contender.
Bless the children
In a nutshell, Song of the Fireflies is a cinematic tribute to the extraordinary journey of the Loboc Children’s Choir (LCC), composed mostly of children from nine to 13 years old who are residents of the bucolic Bohol town.
The members of the choir are a talented lot of dreamers, determined and full of hope, armed with a purpose and their innate gifts of angelic voices and musicality, to rise above poverty and limited resources.
Their guiding light and mentor, of course, is Alma Taldo, the founder of the LCC, with the unwavering support of Equet Butalid, a cultural maven of Bohol who believed deeply in the artistry and brillamce of these singing wonder kids.
A-Plus
Particularly impressive about Palisoc’s Song of the Fireflies is the honest-to-goodness narrative of Sarge Laquesta. Written at its most crystal and obviously with a lot of care, we get to watch the early beginnings of the choir, training, dynamics, friendships, innocence of the children and the beauty of Loboc, its inviting and tranquil river, plus the magnificent churches all captured seamlessly and made alive, charming and magical because of the direction of Palisoc.
There is a slow burn quality to the manner the narrative is gifted on the screen yes, but as spectator you do not mind it, as the kind of pace makes the movie all the more delightful and moving.
The sub-story of Bert (Noel Comia Jr.) and Jackie (Krystal Brimmer), which is the young love trope, does not overwhelm the overall narrative. As a matter of fact, it adds more feels and pulls to it.
Clever as well is the seeming Dorina Pineda and Lavinia Arguelles trope that is splendidly worked out by Rachel Alejandro’s flashier take on Madam Butalid and how Morissette Amon, as Alma, holds the purse strings of the character she portrays with dignity and subtlety.
Also, the coiffure of Alejandro and the many instances she is photographed onscreen make her resemble the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos.
Other nimble-fingered elements to the movie include the 80s montage presentation wherein archival footage of the decadent era flash onscreen, the ill at ease but not quite love triangle of Comia, Brimmer and Timothy Alejandrino. The longing glances and the no-lines confrontation inside the car was spot on.
Also, the reveal on whatever happened to Bert’s Papa (Floyd Tena) in Manila is a newfangled manner in presenting the son longing for his father’s love trope.
Major pluses as well, the songs in the movie made by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, Louie Ocampo, Raymund Marasigan, Krina Cayabyab and all the folk songs and the nostalgia they gave the Palisoc film.
Stellar proportions
The most stellar aspects of the movie is definitely how Amon, Alejandro, Comia Jr. and Brimmer give truth and vulnerabilityto their respective characters.
Amon, in her first major role, gives Ms. Alma some kind of precious emotional commitment and grace. There is something delicate about her manner of giving life and heart to the role. She just radiates on screen. And that singing voice, mellifluous.
Alejandro is in her A game with her portrayal of Butalid, reminiscent of the Blue Ladies of yore, acting and sounding with care and concern but always laced with condescension. The duet of Butalid and Madam Alma is a true diva-to-diva moment by Alejandro and Amon, a one for the books cinematic duel.
And the Gen Z stars Comia, Brimmer, and may I add, Alejandrino, youth is not wasted on the young on this trio. They are new hopes of Philippine cinema, filled with talent and the cameras loved them.
Of course, the biggest stars are the Loboc Children’s Choir members, who also act in this movie. They ad to the authenticity and emotional attraction to the Story of The Fireflies.
Everything indeed has the perfect time and season for this film with a big heart.
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