July 17, 2015
Balangaw (Rainbow)
Balangaw is a Mindanao indie short film that is all about a college girl who got pregnant, and was faced with a difficult problem. It talks about innocence, forgiveness and importance of life. I've heard about this movie from my mother, since she was friends with one of the actress in the movie. It was a good film, and I learned a lot. It had values that everybody should learn and know.
Veronica, a simple college girl, is living with her older sister, Magda and her husband Miguel. Veronica had her eyes on Miguel and one night, she seduced him. Not long after, Veronica got pregnant and Miguel urged her her to abort it, since he doesn't want Magda to know about it. But when Veronica was about to abort her child, she changed her mind and she stopped the process. When Magda found out about them, she left Miguel, heartbroken and sad. Because of this, Miguel turned to drugs and eventually killed himself. In the end of the film, Magda and Veronica were visiting Miguel's grave with Veronica's son who she named after his father, Miguel. Magda had forgiven Veronica for what she had done, because she's her sister and forgiving is important.
The topic of having an affair is quite common in today's TV films and movies. It may be because of the exciting plot of having a forbidden love. Because of this, many producers and directors decide to make a movie about this topic since they know a lot of people would watch it. We can also learn in these kind of movies, even though it doesn't really have a good message. Having an affair can ruin relationships. Just like in Balangaw, the relationship of the sisters got ruined because of Veronica's mistake. It also ruined Magda and Miguel's marriage, and even got to the point where Miguel killed himself.
Durkheim in Suicide
Durkheim defined suicide as the severing of relationships. The kind of suicide that Miguel committed in the film was an example of egoistic suicide. Egoistic suicide is a suicide resulting from weak social ties that fail to attach the person to the group. (Reference: Sociology, A Global Perspective 7E by Joan Ferrante). Because of Miguel's one-time affair with Veronica, it severed his relationship with Magda, thus making him very guilty.
Lovella Mole | SY 2015-2016
