As We Begin Again: A Yearend Reflection on 3 Excellent Filipino Movies
December 30, a holiday, is that time of the year that straddles the 12 months irreversibly gone by and the hope for the 12 months ahead that we resolve will be better. Tapós na ang kahapon; bukas, magsisimula na naman tayo. Tomorrow, we begin again. Hopefully on a level higher than where we ended last year, and even much higher than where we are ending this year.
With the gift of hindsight at this time of the year, we ask, “What’s going to change in the coming year?” A difficult question to answer because it is impossible to predict the future. The question that we can more confidently answer is, “What’s not going to change?” And here lies our challenge as a nation – from centuries of colonization by, and subordination to, foreign cultures; through a couple of wars and revolutions that promised redemption but strengthened nothing but our resilience and hope for a conditional future. Predicting how people – Filipinos – will respond to unexpected challenges and surprises – both good and bad- hangs on the consistency and predictability of the human character – how they know of it through times of joy and upheavals.
But Filipinos can’t seem to learn from the lessons of the past, one would say in exasperation!
I was in Starbucks early morning, in my favorite corner at the far end by the glass wall, after walking a few thousand steps around the park, with a useful book for the week, Rescue (From a Global Crisis to a Better World) by Ian Goldin, and my regular tall Americano. I was sipping my coffee as I looked at the Starbucks 2024 planner, still in its elegant box, that the young girl at the counter happily handed to me after discovering I had exceeded the points required. With hot coffee, the luxury of being alone in a quiet place before music uncomfortable to my generation disturbs the peace, a good view of the green park of Capitol Commons outside, the 2024 planner in front of me, and the rest of the day free to do anything or nothing, I was up for my favorite pastime: drifting to a reverie of creative imagination on a good day, or lapsing into overthinking when the mind gets out of control.
No matter what the Philippines looks today, and what seems obvious today, everything can change tomorrow. In January 2020, nobody ever thought of the coming COVID-19 pandemic. Two years of this unprecedented global crisis brought out the best in people – thoroughly unexpected but absolutely inspiring. In February 1986, the Filipinos surprised the world that they did have what it takes to address their pain and express themselves. Imagination became reality; the good in people triumphed over the bad. Let’s throw in all the other troubles we’ve had for centuries as a nation: the colonization by, and subjugation under, Spain and its serious systemic impact on the Filipino culture – what we fear, how we think, decide, and behave; the westernization of our values that focus on wealth maximization and accumulation and favor easy-way-out instant gratification; the pursuit of the good life that only succeeds in screwing up our priorities, without any sense of personal accountability. In 2024, what possibilities and opportunities lie ahead that we should expect and prepare for? What are the risks? If we are only preparing for the risks that we can envision, what about the risks that we cannot see? It is impossible to plan for what we cannot imagine.
And how do we imagine what never crosses our mind?
My ruminations on the realities of society and human character, the Filipinos in the cycle of perpetual beginnings that keep on reminding them to start to fend for themselves and contribute to our nation’s growth and development, and the sense of outrage that can be shared and discussed in intelligent conversations , have led me to write my thoughts down on the 3 movies that I am so proud to have watched at the turn of the new year. All 3 movies – Gomburza, Firefly, and Rewind – are well-written, well-acted, and well-directed; I strongly encourage everyone to see them.
We know the Gomburza story of martyrdom that “sparked the revolution” after Rizal’s execution. The systemic subjugation of the ‘indios’ has its representation today in the abuses of the modern world of business where right is wrong, and wrong is right, depending on who is in position of power. The impact is deep, profound and has a far-reaching effect on the persistence of inequality and injustice, why the poor will remain poor as the rich get richer. Subjugation turns many into psychological zombies, always ready to give in and surrender, until anger sparks a revolution. The cycle of perpetual beginnings persists and deteriorates because challenging the status quo is a formidable task that requires audacity and tenacity.
We may need mothers who are good storytellers to awaken our sense of awe and imagination, to get us out of where we find ourselves perpetually beginning. Firefly is about a mother’s love for a son who cannot cope with fear. She tells stories and uses imagination to create an alternative reality that the young son learns to believe in. When the mother dies, he must fend for himself, based on what he believes to be true. As he pursues to complete the story that his mother told him, he embarks on a journey to this island in Masbate where the fireflies illuminate his small world. Along the way, he is accompanied by older people who play along to support him; they soon discover that imagination does approximate reality.
To what extent we allow ourselves to be subordinated by the people and circumstances that demean our self-worth, that have no respect for us until we decide to put a stop to it, may just be a matter of time – a long time, I’m afraid – but that time will definitely come, accelerated by how we resolve to begin again but on a higher level. But these people who subject pain on others could be us! To begin again, the right way this time, requires of us a strength of character, to admit fault and assume accountability, and to realize that there will always be trade-offs when we do so. This is the gist of Rewind, an uncompromising movie that redefines happy endings. There is humor in human frailty, but there is also redemption that requires resolution and acceptance. Course correction – a rewind – brings us back to the starting line and sets us off from a much better plane – and for keeps!
Can we change as we begin again? Of course, we can, and we should. Let us begin and end every year with a better understanding of who and what we are, unlearn bad habits and acquire new ones, and hopefully, contribute to the rewiring of the Filipino brain. We have shown the best versions of ourselves in times of crisis, and the world has celebrated our resilience and leadership. It is in times of ease and comfort that we seem to fall short of determination and have to nudge ourselves to shape up. For starters, Gomburza, Firefly and Rewind have given me reasons to look forward to a better year, at least for Philippine cinema where creative imagination thrives.
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