Earlier this day, CCP Tanghalan premiered "Hintayan ng Langit" (Heaven's Waiting) on YouTube when it was first performed as a one-act play during the Virgin Labfest back in 2016. I didn't know about Hintayan ng Langit back then because it was a time when I wasn't aware of Virgin Labfest as well (but gahd, I wish I did). Prior to the premiere of the one-act play, I had gotten the chance to watch the film adaptation of Hintayan ng Langit last 2019 on Netflix (that of which, I had to parasite from my cousins). I decided to rewatch it again earlier this quarantine before our Netflix free membership expired. Now, with a full memory refreshed on both the one-act play and the film, I'm ready to talk about Heaven's Waiting.
The original idea of the one-act play was that Hintayan ng Langit is actually just a waiting area. It was literally an area of waiting but not necessarily an airport-like "arrival and departure" place (which was later adapted in the film) with dormitories and an aliwan (a place where they could dance, have dinner & experience earthly vices and spirits for one last time). I love how the one-act play was so raw. It didn't spoon-feed as much as the film (because film had the tendency to do that sometimes). For a 45-minute running play, it did a good job at portraying the two characters and their relationship without feeling like it was in a rush. And let me just say that the treatment that theater did for the plot was HIGHLY different from that of the film. You cannot completely compare them to one another but you also cannot pull them too far apart.
Theater attacked the story of Hintayan ng Langit as a one-act play comedy. It was meant to have funny punchlines and sarcastic remarks. Even the overall set design suggested something light and easy. However, they did manage to maintain the serious parts as, well, serious. They were creative on lighting and effects. I just really loved how simple it was for the one-act play. Tagabantay (their helper) also had an amusing role in the play as opposed to her role in the film. Although I get it why there is a big difference from play to movie and vice versa.
Even though the film and the play tackled a similar storyline, I love how the execution became different for both of the art forms. You see the story in two different forms and the feeling you get from both also differs. The film was more dramatic than the play. There were more striking lines that let your heart ache to its core. The delivery of the dialogue was more serious and natural. While the one-act play was simple because of its rawness, I also found the film simple because of its naturalness. You would understand that the play was more intense by means of movement, body language and exaggeration but I found that the realness you get from film was more intense because of the angles of the shots, the natural acting, the actual setting, the lighting and its in-depth portrayal, not only to Lisang and Manolo's story, but also in the stories of other people that may have been "in waiting" as well.
The one-act play became richer and fuller once they translated it into a film. And I don't blame them. If I came to watch the one-act play four years ago, I would have considered expounding the storyline as well. They did a smart move on recreating it as a film. They added newer elements and a bigger story. They threw in more characters and additional dialogue. To top it off, the color gradation and sound design became fully in-sync with the whole concept of the story. It's amazing how you can appreciate where it all started and then, how it was converted a few years later on the big screen. I still can't believe that a one-act play so funny and sarcastic could be so serious, dramatic and tear-jerking as a film. Art, indeed, is versatile.
In the end, I don't want to be too biased but I just fell in love with the film. Much more than the play. Or maybe it's because I wasn't able to see the play first. It's just that the impact the film made was too real. The dialogues that weren't in the play but were in the film are the ones that led me to cry the most. And no, it doesn't make it any less dramatic with Gina Pareño and Eddie Garcia as two of the leads for the film. If anything, it made it even more intense.
I will never forget how Ms. Gina Pareño attacked the lines of Lisang. "Kasi ayokong isipin mo na hindi na naman kita hinintay!" ("I don't want you to think that I didn't wait for you again!") hit me so hard. The way she explained that she didn't want to take away the baggage she had by just coming up to heaven because it was the only thing that kept her from still feeling alive was also heartbreaking. All the more did it break my heart when they added this dialogue which wasn't in the original script of the play: (Somewhere along these lines; I don't have it all memorized)
"Ni minsan ba, hindi mo nagawang magloko kay Ester?"
("Did you ever cheat on Ester?")
"Maraming beses din."
("Countless times.")
"Naisip mo bang iwan siya?"
("Did you ever think of leaving her?")
"Kahit kailan, hindi. Eh ikaw? Nagawa mo bang magloko kay Nestor?"
("Never. How about you? Did you ever cheat on Nestor?")
"Kahit kailan, hindi."
("Never.")
"Naisip mo bang iwan siya?"
("Did you ever think of leaving him?")
"Maraming beses din."
("Countless times.")
For all the right reasons, it intensified even more the time that both of the main characters had lost, the regret that came with it and the feeling of helplessness of the time already gone. So it was only reasonable that the next few scenes were just as heartbreaking. The film led me into a river of tears, no doubt about that. I don't think I can ever hold it, even for the next time I'll decide to watch again (and yes, I might and will watch it again).
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