Himala - Plot Summary

Plot Summary

The setting is a small town named Cupang, a community set in an arid landscape. The townsfolk believed that the drought they were having was a curse placed on the upon the town for driving away a leper years before.

During a solar eclipse, Elsa (Aunor), a local young woman, allegedly saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary atop a barren hill, the same place where her adoptive mother Aling Salíng (Labalan) found her as a baby. Right after, she started faith healing local residents assisted by her friends, Chayong (Centeno) and Sepa (Quiambao), who eventually became part of her "Seven Apostles", including entrepreneur Mrs. Alba (Palileo). Word spread around and soon pilgrims and tourists started arriving in Cupang to visit Elsa's house, distinguished by the big sign "Elsa loves you," to see her. At the same time, enterprising residents of Cupang started businesses like selling religious articles, offering accommodations, among others, capitalizing on the sudden influx of local and foreign patients and tourists.

Orly (Spanky Manikan), a filmmaker, arrived in town to make a documentary about Elsa, interviewing her and people who personally know her. Around the same time, Elsa's childhood friend Nimia (Dueñas), now a prostitute, returned and established a kabaret (a sleazy nightclub/brothel) for tourists, which was later ordered closed by the Seven Apostles.

One day, in the church's confessional, Orly revealed to the town's Catholic priest (Lamangan) that he saw two drugged youths from Manila sexually assaulting Elsa and Chayong on the hill. The filmmaker was holding a tremendous guilt; instead of helping the two victims, he continued capturing the incident on film, as he needed a scoop for his struggling career.

A cholera epidemic spread throughout Cupang, with Sepa's two children dying after eating tainted meat at Elsa's house. Chayong then hanged herself because of shame from the assault. Authorities quarantined Elsa's house, closing it off from patients. Elsa blamed herself for all of the deaths and decided to stop healing. Eventually, the patients and tourists stopped coming, leaving the town the way it was before the hoopla.

Elsa started showing signs of pregnancy from the rape. Mrs. Alba concluded that it is "Immaculate Conception" and proclaimed that Elsa is truly blessed. At the exact moment, thunder started roaring in the background, followed by pouring rain. The townspeople rejoiced and played in the rain, convinced that the miracle has returned and that the curse was finally lifted. Mrs. Alba and the crowd returned to Elsa's house and called out to her. She commanded her followers to call everybody to assemble on the hill.

In front of her congregation, Elsa, apprehensive at first, eventually professed that there were no miracles, no sightings of the Virgin, and pleaded that people themselves invent gods, miracles, curses and such. In the middle of her speech, a gun pointed towards her, was fired, hitting her on her chest and a violent stampede ensued. The old and infirm who came to be healed, including children were trampled upon in the mass hysteria. Injuries were everywhere.

Elsa gasped her last breathe in her mother's arms looking towards the sky while Orly and other reporters captured her last moment on their cameras. Wailing and crying ensued after the announcement of her death, and the crowd started gravitating towards her. As Elsa was being taken to a waiting ambulance, her followers lifted her lifeless body overhead, in a crucifix position, as the crowd wanted to touch her. Crowds were scampering all over the hill as they followed Elsa down to the car. Against her husband's will, Sepa shouted to the crowd, proclaiming that Elsa was a saint, a martyr for the world's suffering. She led the congregation in praying the Hail Mary on their knees going up the hill as the ambulance carrying Elsa drove away.