Adela

Mercy, [Angeli Bayani], is heavily pregnant when she returns home to find her live-in partner PJ, [Jason Abalos], sleeping with his mistress, [Cyra de la Cerna]. The confrontation sets off a day steeped in tension as she contends with the shock while her body grows more tired, and she ends up laboring with the help of Aling Adela, a former midwife who becomes a quiet beacon in the chaos.

On the occasion of Adela’s 80th birthday, she looks forward to a gathering with her children and grandchildren, even as the room hums with the weight of aging, memory, and unspoken loneliness. PJ, alongside the barangay captain, invites Adela to join a celebratory event that doubles as a political appeal—an effort to coax her into the prayer rally for President Arroyo—yet Adela yearns for simple time with her own family rather than public events.

As she prepares to leave for church, Benjo, [Joem Bascon], arrives to sell a toaster and a cellphone charger, inserting a mundane note into the day’s heavy emotional load. Mercy discovers her wedding ring is missing, leading her to a junk shop where the manager reveals the appliances she bought were stolen from Aling Glenda, [Perla Bautista]. She confronts the young thief, pleading for the return of her ring, but he refuses to admit his guilt. Despite the upheaval, she goes to church to pray and give thanks, yet she cannot ignore the thief’s suspicious movements nearby.

In the midst of this, she encounters an old radio colleague, her former co-league, and exchanges a few tangential words as Adela resists discussing the loneliness that has shadowed her life. Near the church, Adela buys toys and decorations for her apos, trying to stitch small joys into a day already thick with strain. She then visits her son at the local prison, only to learn that he is about to be convicted and transferred to Muntinglupa, a moment that cuts deep into her already fragile sense of hope.

Deciding to participate in PJ’s celebration with its heavy drinking and karaoke, the gathering becomes a tense tapestry of affection and unease. While the group belts out “Luha,” a phone call from her daughter arrives, leaving Adela with a sense of uncertainty about whether she will be able to reunite with family that day. She returns home, sharing pancit with a neighbor, and then makes a quiet pilgrimage to the thief’s mother to return the appliances, only to uncover an illicit love affair with a stud that adds another layer of heartbreak to the day.

As everyone heads toward the prayer rally, Adela slips away to the river shore, choosing a solitary, painful birthday moment that seems to mark the weight of years and unresolved yearning. The film closes on a stark, unsettled note: Adela moves into a bushy area, and the camera lingers as the audience is left to wonder what happens next in her uncertain, unspoken world.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:57