This Holy Week, films with religious themes come to mind — foreign classics like The Ten Commandments and local gems such as Himala (Tagalog: Miracle). Ishmael Bernal directed Himala, but he also made another film that I think is equally fitting for reflection during this season: Hinugot sa Langit (Tagalog: Wrenched from Heaven).
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| Poster of the 1985 film Image Credit: Regal Entertainment |
This 1985 film centers on Carmen (Maricel Soriano), a young woman who faces the heavy dilemma of whether or not to have an abortion. While struggling with her personal crisis, she also becomes entangled in a broader narrative that exposes inequality and hypocrisy in society.
The title itself is a euphemism for abortion: "hinugot" (Tagalog: pulled out or wrenched) as the literal act of removing the fetus from the womb, and “langit” as the sanctified space of the womb, the source of life. At the same time, “langit” also refers to Carmen's illicit relationship with the married Jerry (Al Tantay), which led to her unwanted pregnancy.
Another layer of meaning is the religious aspiration of drawing closer to God — but this "heaven" becomes futile when faith is only outward, lacking compassion for others. Juling (Charito Solis), Carmen's landlady, embodies this hypocrisy.
Juling constantly proclaims "Praise the Lord!" and even hosts prayer meetings at her home, yet she is eager to evict informal settlers like David (Ray Ventura). Because Carmen is a boarder in Juling's house, her personal dilemma is literally enclosed within Juling's hypocrisy.
Carmen’s long-distance boyfriend Bobby (Rowell Santiago) is another source of pressure. His constant "you should do this, you should do that" feels like a checklist of moral obligations. Carmen wronged him, but Bobby also failed to understand her needs. Their relationship lacks equality and compassion; Bobby wants to play god, expecting Carmen's obedience.
In contrast, Carmen's friend Stella (Amy Austria) serves as a foil. Her advice is cynical: "The world’s population is 4 billion. God won’t even notice you." She even quips that Juling has a "direct line" to heaven — a jab at religious hypocrisy.
Meanwhile, David and the other informal settlers are themselves "pulled from heaven" — stripped of dignity after being denied basic needs. David's child dies of illness, his family is evicted, and the police respond disproportionately by shooting him.
In desperation, David secretly takes surgical scissors from the hospital — a symbol of medicine and life — and uses them to stab Juling to death during a prayer meeting. The act is morally wrong, but it reflects the desperate measures of the oppressed.
A biblical allusion is weaved in this part of the movie. In scripture, David struck down Goliath and became king. In the film, another David strikes Juling (whose name even echoes "Goliath"), the embodiment of hypocrisy. But instead of triumph, it ends in tragedy.
Ultimately, Hinugot sa Langit is not just about abortion. It layers themes of sin, illicit relationships, religious hypocrisy, and socio-economic deprivation. The title points first to the act of abortion — pulling life from the sanctified womb — but it also opens up reflections on guilt, anguish, and the failures of society.
This is why Hinugot sa Langit resonates as a Holy Week film: it invites us to examine not only personal mistakes, but also how religion and social structures shape compassion — or the lack of it.
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