Ignacio De Loyola A Divine Cinematic Masterpiece

Ignacio De Loyola A Divine Cinematic Masterpiece

By Michelle Chermaine Ramos

FILM REVIEW:

“If you could hear the voice of God, would you want to keep it a secret?” Produced by Jesuit Communications and masterfully written and directed by Paolo Dy along with his wife Cathy Azanza-Dy, the movie focuses on the period of St. Ignacio’s conversion from a vain impetuous sinner to a preacher and man of unwavering faith after the child Jesus appears to him. Helmed by a Filipino crew with an all-Spanish cast, this is the first movie by a Filipino production ever screened at the Vatican.

Andreas Muñoz as Ignacio De Loyola, the saint of second chances.

The film opens with a legendary sword being forged in fire, which would later be wielded by Iñigo de Loyola (who would later be known as Ignacio) during his years as a young soldier. In a way, it feels like the creation of the exquisite sword being pounded and shaped in the searing heat in the introduction serves a visual metaphor for Iñigo’s eventual transformation as future trials and tribulations shape his character.

Andreas Muñoz delivers a stirring performance as Iñigo. The youngest son in a brood of many siblings in a noble family of soldiers, Iñigo grows up with a deep hunger to prove himself on the battlefield. Initially, he partakes in the common activities of many young soldiers of his age, joining his brothers for drunken nights at brothels, living life as a spendthrift ladies’ man afforded by his wealth. His only dreams in life are of fame and glory modelled after the stories he has read of chivalric knights and his ultimate ambition is simply to die a hero’s death in battle. He fights valiantly against the French until he is seriously wounded in the Battle of Pamplona.

Now crippled, his dreams crushed, he is forced to re-examine his life’s purpose and if there could possibly be another road to happiness. Inspired after reading about the lives of saints and Jesus Christ while bed ridden at home, he later sets off on a spiritual quest as a pilgrim beggar. While living in a cave to meditate, he starts hearing voices and feverishly writes a journal and book of spiritual exercises on which he bases his independent preaching raising the ire of the Spanish inquisitors.

DIRECTOR PAOLO DY

Filmed in Spain including places of historical significance such as his ancestral home, the cast’s solid performance is enhanced with beautiful cinematography and intricately designed period costumes, props and sets. Moreover, the icing on the cake topping it off is the brilliant epic musical score by Ryan Cayabyab. This is a very human story about an individual with real human flaws, dreams, and his internal struggle fighting the demons of the guilt of his past. Unlike other portrayals of saints as untouchable virtuous individuals, Muñoz’s excellent portrayal of the transformation of the vulnerable conflicted Iñigo is very relatable and made me feel like the saint was an old friend you can easily confide in.

When I asked director Dy about how he made his casting choice, he explained, “We were looking for someone who could play both the fire and water sides of Ignatius’ personality. He’s got that passion, in many ways, anger in the beginning…but at the same time later on in his life he found a self-mastery that the older Ignatius was known for. So for an actor to be able to play both sides, that was a big challenge so it was really lucky that we found Andreas.”

So what made them decide to create a film about St. Ignacio now in this modern age, I asked. “When we look at who he was as a person, there are a lot of parallels to a lot of things that modern day people including the kids are facing now. Even in his day he was concerned about his purpose, his legacy. He wanted to control how other people would see him. He wanted to be famous, he wanted to be known and he wanted glory. Basically. if he was alive today, he would be a monster on Facebook. There’s something to be learned from his life in terms of knowing which voices to listen to because there are, of course, a million voices now, every day shouting online, in real life. So it’s that thought of how he learned which voices to listen to,” says Dy.

For everyone who has had grand ambitions, experienced failure, lost love, longing, depression, or wondered about your life’s purpose, this film inspires you to examine your own life choices with self-reflection and humility to become a better person.

The team behind Ignacio De Loyola raised the bar for Filipino productions on the international stage. Considering the talent it took to complete this independent project with limited resources against all odds, the film is nothing short of a divine cinematic masterpiece.