I was excited when I knew that the class will be watchin' Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, but no one was able to get a copy of the film so we settled for La Visa Loca, which I, personally, would recommend to all Filipinos.
The picture above is a table of characters of the story.
Actually, Ms. Dianne was right when she said that there's a different Robin Padilla in this story. This is certainly way out of his characters before... But even so, he was able to play the role with excellence.
The movie was comedy, but it nevertheless will give a mark at everyone who sees it, specially those Filipinos who were able to watch the film. It was not like those romantic films we see in televisions that has a lot of nonsense when proposing and when conflict arises... This film gives a real view (though comedy) of what identity a real Filipino has.
Perhaps I am just too nationalistic because I don't want to see the wrong things Pinoys had fatally done to his own identity.
The penitensya, crucifixion, agimat and other superstitious things that grew up within us were the things that was prohibited by Catholicism. The Church allows and asks us to perform sacrifices when lent season arrives but, we are not asked to crucify ourselves or kill through deliberate torture.
When I saw the characters in La Visa Loca, I was (shock is an understatement) SURPRISED! First, I don't want to aggree with the film on how they represent the Filipinos. Ang nasa isip ko pa noon ay 'hindi uto- uto ang mga Pinoy!' But come to think of it, what is in store after the sacrifices we had during lent season... we woldn't know... God wouldn't really shower us with blessings.
We celebrate Lent (Kwaresma) every year, and every year my mom always prepares us to go with her for visita iglesia. Don'tget me wrong, I am not asking for something in return for the sacrifices I do, but the thing is, we are becoming very superstitious, kahit na nga ba sabihing sabi ito ng ating simbahan, I think we are still stagnated with the 'Bathala' kind of worship.
Everytime my mom prepares for visita iglesia, I sometimes get annoyed... ang mahal na kaya ng gas tapos mag- visita pa sa malayong lugar... how odd??? It's as if we're travelling to beaches... because most often than not, the churches that we visit are those near the beaches.
I want to pay particular attention to Mang Sancho right now, he reminds me of those men who never knew how to work... masyadong umaasa... hindi naman dahil sa matanda na ang isang tao ay mawawala na ang kanilang pagiging produktibo. Even if it is already the task of his son to take care of him, now that he's aleady old, he shouldn't be very inefficient. Minsan kailangan din naman nating mahiya sa mga taong nakapaligid sa atin.
The issue of viagra, however, made me feel nosy... Is this one of the reasons why Philippines is overpopulated? Masyado na bang malibog ang mga tao ngayon at hindi na natin mapigil ang ating mga sarili? Hindi na ba talaga tayo makatiis?
Mara on the other hand, makes me feel sick. After we discussed some stories, which depicts the strengths a woman possess, bakit ganun naman ang nangyari sa kanya? She solves her problem via herself, because she's afraid... she's afraid of the truth, natatakot siyang malaman ni Jess ang katotohanan. At itinuturing kong kahinaan ang hindi pagsasabi ng totoo... Whom is she trying to protect? Herself? What about her child?
Nakakahiya naman talaga ang sabihing isang sirena ang nanay mo, pero, nanay mo yan... kahit anong mangyari... yan ang magiging sandalan mo sa lahat ng pagkakataon, kaya kahit sirena o siyokoy o unggoy pa yan... kailangan nating tanggapin ang katotohanan... Mahirap... (what defines us, as a person, is not the way we all face our problems but what we do after we facing it)
I am not a fan of any of the artists included in this film, but I want to give credit to all of them who gave Filipinos something to be analyzed.
This made me fantasize and imagine things that no other film made me do... somehow it made me laugh at the things running in my mind while watchin it.
Ciao.
