I have been putting this off for a few months now but then I
realize that I really need to improve on my writing. Reading all the books I’ve
read for the past weeks, I also realized that the authors of those books would
not be able to write magnificently as they do without practicing. This reaction
paper series would be my side project so that I could be a better writer. This
is also the best time to do this as I am also writing my thesis. My first
reaction will revolve around the documentary Manila 1945 which was jus shown a
while ago at DL Umali Auditorium.
The documentary Manila 1945 chronicled the cruel events of
the Japanese occupation during World War II. Beginning 1941, the Japanese has
relentlessly attempted to alter our thinking by propagating the idea of
friendship between Filipinos and the Japanese. This propaganda, however,
miserably failed as the ideologies we inherited from the West became a
permanent feature of our collective psyche. Also, the cruelties inflicted upon
us during the early stage of their occupation led us not to believe their
intention of liberating us from the Western powers. These cruelties escalated
to massacres and unjust treatment of Prisoners of War. During such times, all wondered
if these fellow Asians were really human.
Being a documentary, its “nakedness” really got me. Its
beauty lies on how unpretentious and ‘real’ it is. If we would compare this to war
or post war films which were just interpretations of history, this documentary
was bare—stripped out of any production, just pure stories. Documentaries are
not interpretation-free as filmmakers deliberately cut or add scenes or change
their sequencing to fit the narrative he/she wants to project. But that is how
far the filmmaker can go.
But the most beautiful part of all of these is how the
documentary was able to unsettle the audience and forced them to confront the
atrocities of our history. We were urged to take a second look at 1945, urged
us to reflect on its implications to our generations. As what Dr. Nick Deocampo
said, the consequences of the war could still be seen in the present. It is now
a responsibility of our generation to look for those consequences and face
them. In this juncture, another question arises: why bother facing them,
anyway?
The Filipinos and our collective way of thinking has been
formed, reformed and deformed by numerous cultural wars wherein we were
victims. These cultural wars, I contend, contributed to our confusion when it
comes to our national identity. This confusion is cumbersome and is difficult
to ask, let alone face. What we do is we turn away from the daunting task of
resolving this confusion and let ourselves float. Without an identity, we float
aimlessly.
To emphasize that point, that daunting task includes facing
the wrongdoings in our history. Our generation may have resolved that what
happened that time of war doesn’t concern us anymore and so there is no need
for us to partake on it. However, as one shall see on Private Wars, another
documentary that we have watched, not facing this perpetuates our growing
uncertainty. It’s like looking at the
mirror and seeing a blank faced reflection. Without a resolution, how can we
move forward? How can that face have a
face?
As a concluding remark: if we are to move forward as a
people, we must face our dark history and come to terms with it. That’s the
only time we can truly be free from the clashes of our past. That’s how we can
be a people.
0 comments:
Post a Comment