Hagase tu voluntad is a lot of crying in black and white

Is it worth the watch?

If you’re into those old films where everyone looks like they’re posing for a painting, this is for you. It’s mostly for the history buffs or people who like seeing how movies used to look before everything got so fast and shiny.

If you hate slow stories where people talk about their feelings in a very loud way, maybe skip this one. 🍿

The first thing I noticed was Norma del Rosario’s face. She has this way of looking completely devastated even when she is just sitting there doing nothing.

There is a scene early on where the lighting is so harsh it makes everyone look like ghosts. It actually works though, considering the heavy vibe of the title, which means 'Thy Will Be Done.'

The plot is pretty much what you expect from a movie with a name like that. It is about sacrifice and keeping your chin up when life is throwing bricks at you every five minutes.

Juanita Angeles and Manuel Ortega have a few scenes together that feel very stagey. Like, they stand three feet apart and talk to the wall instead of looking at each other.

I kept thinking about how different this is from something like A Virtuous Vamp. That one is all about the energy, while this movie just wants to make you sit and sigh.

The sound quality on the print I saw was... well, it wasn't great. There is a constant hum that sounds like a beehive is stuck inside the projector, but you get used to it after ten minutes.

At one point, Pedro Faustino enters a room and the door makes this huge thud. It felt like the whole set was going to shake apart for a second, but nobody in the scene even blinked.

I like that the movie doesn't try to be clever or have a big twist. It just tells a sad story and lets you sit with it until you feel a bit sad too.

It reminds me a bit of the pacing in Annie Laurie, where the emotion is basically the whole point of the scene. You aren't there for the plot; you're there to see people suffer beautifully.

There is a lot of religious imagery, obviously. You see a lot of crosses and people looking up at the sky like they are waiting for an answer that never comes.

The ending is a bit of a tear-jerker if you are in the right mood for it. If you aren't, it might just feel like a lot of loud sniffing and dramatic music.

It is definitely a time capsule. You get to see these old Manila styles and clothes that don't really exist anymore except in museums.

Is it a masterpiece? Probably not. But it has a weirdly honest heart that you don't see in modern stuff that feels like it was made by a committee.

Sometimes the actors linger on a look for way too long. Like, we get it, you are sad, let’s move to the next room already.

The way they use silence is interesting, though I think some of it was just because they didn't have the budget for a full score. It makes the quiet moments feel really heavy.

Anyway, it is a relatively short watch if you can find it. Good for a rainy Sunday when you want to feel a bit dramatic yourself.

Didja notice?

• The way the shadows hit the wall behind Rita Rica makes her look like she has wings for a second.
• That one background extra who looks like they are trying really hard not to laugh during a funeral scene.
• The music swells so loud in the finale that it actually distorted my speakers a little bit.
• One of the chairs in the background looks exactly like one my grandma used to have.
• The transition shots of the city are actually the most interesting part of the movie.

It’s not perfect, and the acting is definitely from a different era. But if you give it a chance, it’s kind of sweet in its own depressing way.