In Her Shoes
There are few local films that had managed to keep my interest for more than an hour. This is probably because I’m into action/sci-fi/fantasy films, which in my opinion need first-rate, big-budget CGI (computer generated imagery) effects to work. But there is a local film that managed to tug at my heartstrings and made me forget all about car chases and robots from outer space.
I remember the first time I saw Ang Tanging Ina. It’s a Filipino film directed by Wenn Deramas, starring Ai-Ai de las Alas as the matriarch of the family. It was released in May of 2003 to wide fan and critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing up to over 178 million pesos. Anyway, I originally wanted to watch The Matrix Reloaded, but my mother insisted that we watch Ang Tanging Ina, which she had previously watched with her best friend. So, in spite of my protests –– and there were a lot of protests from bratty ol’ me –– we ended up watching Ang Tanging Ina.
I expected to be bored inside the cinema. I expected to spend the entire time envisioning a movie where everyone wore black leather trench coats and dodged bullets effortlessly. I did not expect to be drawn in by the realistic movie, with the outlandish yet totally believable characters. I did not expect to laugh uproariously at many scenes in the movie. And I most certainly expect to find out that this tearjerker of a movie to bring tears to my eyes during that hospital scene near the end. And I honestly did not expect to glance over and see that my mother’s eyes, too, were filled with tears.
Afterwards, there was no denying it: I loved that movie. It was everything a film could aspire to be –– comedic, dramatic, and romantic, all at the same time.
Now, I totally find myself relating to Ai-Ai’s kids in the movie. I do whatever I can to help out with my family, which sometimes frustrates me –– because I do have things I want to do with my life –– but then again, I wouldn’t really have it any other way (like Juan and Tudis). There were times (in the legendarily bratty spells I’ve had in my life), I wanted out of my family, I wanted a new family, I wanted a normal family (like Tri), and not the dysfunctional one I had. There were things I wanted to have in life –– material things like my own car, a new house, a closet full of new clothes –– which I would have gotten if life hadn’t dealt my family a serious blow (like Por). There were times when I thought my family wouldn’t accept and love me for me (like Pip). I have had the misfortune of being embarrassed by my parents (like Six) and after that, I was petrified, living a life conscious of the fact that my parents have the power to further humiliate me (like Seven). I knew how they felt. Dealing with adolescence was hardly easy, and couple that in with a weird family situation. I know what it’s like living in a chaotic home that, even if it’s full of love and affection, can be too much at times.
But the main reason why I liked this movie was probably the fact that it made me view mothers in a totally different perspective. When that movie came out –– even though people kept telling me I was a mature kid –– I was really young (in more ways than one). I saw mothers as homemakers and fathers as providers. I was raised to believe that the mother’s job was to take care of the kids and the father’s job was to give money and food on the table. At that time, I had both parents. We were a happy family. So the concept of a single mother struggling to feed her kids and make them a home was foreign to me.
Around 2005, my parents split up, leaving my mother to assume the roles of both the Provider and the Homemaker. She provided for her three kids while fighting to create a homey and safe atmosphere for us. I saw her move through her pain and put us before everything else.
I guess you could say that every time I watched this film, I saw how things were like for my mom. Every time I watched this film, I saw how hard life was in her shoes.
Reference:
· Wikipedia. 2011. Ang Tanging Ina – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_Tanging_Ina. [Accessed 01 June 11].
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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