[WARNING: Contains spoilers. This review is my personal opinion and belief. Any concepts written here are definitely not the concept which the film wants to deliver to its audiences. Story shifting is based on what I remembered.]
Seklusyon (lit. Seclusion, the state of being private and away from other people) is a Filipino religious horror film that depicts multi-religious beliefs existed during the 1940s in Philippine culture.
The story focuses on four young men (Miguel, Fabian, Carlo, Marco) who want to become priests. To be officially acknowledged, these men need to outlast seclusion for seven days, with rulings such as fasting, praying, no talking with each other, no loud noises, etc.). The church where seclusion happens is being handled by a certain Mang Sandoval. He explained to each young men about seclusion and what should and should not be done for seven days. He even told him that, roughly, no one has ever survived seclusion, let alone finish it for seven days.
On the other scene, a young girl named Anghela, claimed to be a prophet delivered by God with an ability to create miracles, especially healing. She is being influenced by a nun called Madre Cecilia. She heals diseases and sickness to people who came for her.
Padre Ricardo is a church priest who doubtfully believed that Anghela is a genuine prophet sent by God. In order to prove that she was, her parents and the nun forced her to heal a man who cannot walk. To the priest's eyes, the man was healed.
Later on the story, Anghela's parents were killed because of the war (rumored). With no one but the nun to take care of her, they left the town and went to church where the four young men effectuate their seclusion.
Inside the church, the young men experience horrid situations created by their own sins from their past. They need to endure the pain and agony to pass seclusion. In the verge of experiencing and seeing things individually, Anghela and the nun arrived the church.
Anghela talked to Mang Sandoval about his past and how God has better plans for him. She explains that God will never abandon Him. The next morning, Mang Sandoval told everyone how Anghela changed his point of view in life and left the church.
With Anghela and the nun, things abruptly changed. They started to see Anghela's miracles, Except for Miguel, who believed she was not a true prophet. He urges the other young men and the nun that she was a false prophet, but no one believes him. He threatened that if Anghela is not going to leave, he will leave, but once he leave, he will never be a priest. Anghela cried in front of everyone and asked him to not make any sacrifices again (about sacrificing her ex-girlfriend). She hugged Miguel but he let go.
Miguel dreamt about Anghela and Erina, her ex-girlfriend who was pregnant. He dreamt that Erina was killing their child, piercing a bunch of stabs straight through her stomach. He dreamt about Anghela weeping and begging not to leave her alone again. He woke up and saw that Anghela beside him.
The next morning, Anghela makes a ritual for her to become an orthodox prophet. However, Miguel did not drink the cup with wine and silently spit it.
Meanwhile, Padre Ricardo continues his investigation about the nun. She was an abandoned girl raped by many soldiers. He also found out that Anghela is a false prophet. He hurriedly went to the church and confronted Anghela about his accusations. Anghela said he can never change anything, that people go first to her, to be healed easily than to beg for their lives to their Gods. And that, people go to what is easy than to what is true. Miguel saw what happened and went back to check on others. When he went back, Anghela already killed Padre Ricardo.
Miguel grabbed Anghela and point the knife to her throat, telling everyone that he will kill the girl to stop everything. He went inside the chapel and locked themselves in so the three men and the nun could not get inside.
Anghela told Miguel that even he killed her, everything would not change, that people already did not know who is the right God and who is wrong, which God is true and which is not. Miguel placed Anghela to the altar and said, "Forgive me God" then stabbed Anghela in her stomach multiple times. Anghela died.
The story ends with the three priests being blessed by the priests, thus Anghela's prophecies are still spreading all over the religion.
