FILM ANALYSIS: Aishite Imasu 1941:Mahal Kita

SocSc.13-RIZALS LIFE WORKS AND WRITINGS

Damit, Francis Jay M.                                                                        Liceo de Cagayan University

BSEd-English-3                                                                              

The Jose P.Rizal’s Story:

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            The movie obviously tells the life story of Jose Rizal, our national hero. It covers the major periods of his life, from childhood up to his execution at the hands of the  Spanish colonizers who occupied the country for more than three hundred years. The movie had also gave us a glimpse from his novel for us to see how Jose Rizal viewed the Filipino society under the Spanish rule.

            The movie features the miseries of the Filipinos under the Spanish rule. It has shown us the inhumane and unjust ruling of the Spaniards toward the Filipinos and how our fellows grately suffered because of it, through the killings and abuse-depictings scenes that we see in the film. Histrorically, it’s the Spaniards who have introduced catholicism in our country and they were successful in making our paganist country into a deeply devouted christian nation, but I personally believe that they have been deceitful in teaching whats right to the Filipinos, most specially when they did not give an equal opportunity to the native of this country in both the government and in church, more devastating is when they executed the three martyrs, Gomborza, from the unproved allegations of revolt. And this particular happening during this time led Rizal into realizing the woeful condition of the country under the control of the Spaniards.

            That what is actually happening in our country is devastating like the instability of the colonial administrations, corruption of the officials, lack of representations of the Filipinos in the political sector and in the Spanish cortes, lack of human rights, inequality before the law, frailocry, forced labor, the guardia civil, racial discrimation and other more devastating realities in the colony during then.

            But on a lighter note, we can also see from the movie the series of flashback showing Rizal as a genius, a writer, a doctor, an artist, a lover, a friend, a brother and a son, which give the movie a wonderful depiction of the character of Rizal, which put a satirical climate on the film. We were able to see the other side of our beloved  national hero which I think also gives a glimpse of the amazing personality of the Filipinos, that amidst the adversities that we are in. A fun-loving, romantic and good person can still emerge from us.

            Another commendable aspect of this film is the effectiveness of letting the audience see how Rizal actually viewed the Filipinos and the Spaniards during this period by incorporating in the film the two of his well-knowned novels, The Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo, which had shown us that these two books are reflections of the lives of the Filipinos during the Spanish regime. And the thought and noble ideas of the book do not only live in the past but also in the present manifesting the universality and immortality of Rizal’s ideas. And also by adding in the film the character of Crisostomo Ibarra who later becomes Simon whom appealed to me as representation of his dual nature and of the Filipinos in general. Ibarra, the good one is one side of Rizal but because of  wickedness of the society he becomes Simon, the dark side of Rizal, the person who possessed anger. But I am also convinced that the characteristic of these character doesn’t only stand for Rizal alone but to all the Filipinos who find in their hearts the desire to become free from the rule of conquerors and because of the wickedness of the society emerged in us a brave and a strong Filipino who would fight for his belief and liberty.

            But more than the physical aspect of the film, are the lessons and reflections that we can get out from it. Admittedly, while watching the film, I cant help but to emphatize on the clamor of our fellow Filipinos for freedom and equality. And I cant help but to feel angry towards the Spaniards who made our country suffered that much. The spaniards who sipped almost everything that the Filipinos have. They did not only invaded this country but conquered us from our culture, tradition, religion, and in almost all the aspects of our life which in effect gives birth to a Filipino having different and replicated identity, losing our authenticity as Filipinos.

            But in real sense, these days are gone, and what we are ‘ought to do is to look forward and approach the future with hopes and strong faith to ourselves and most especially to God. And to prove to the rest of the world, that we can stand up from all the challenges we faced from our  yesterdays.