A family by any other name

Film festivals have always been exciting for me here in Manila. This is a time when we see a variety of pure Filipino talents.

I wish we celebrated film festivals every day, so we can enjoy Filipino movies the whole day, every day.

Only very few Pinoy films come out every year.  Last Christmas Eve, only a couple of my relatives spent the night with my brother and me.

It wasn’t exactly all too exciting for us. As soon as the clock struck midnight, we opened our gifts, stayed up until the fireworks went out, then went straight to bed.

I couldn’t explain how I felt that night, but somehow seeing my blind brother smile as he opened his presents was enough for me to remember this year’s Christmas.

But then again, a part of me was longing for my family to be complete, which is nearly impossible.

It seems my brother and I have formed our own little circle of what we call “family,” made up of him, a few other friends, relatives and me.

The following day, Christmas Day, some of my friends came to our home for dinner. There was a whole new different feel to our environment.

Suddenly, I really felt like I was home. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Having good people around us is more than what I could ask for.

Bahay Kubo is a film about togetherness. It proves that being a family doesn’t require connection through blood, but a deeper understanding of acceptance.

I learned that not having my close circle of family members around doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t have a family to spend the holidays with.

The movie was two hours of great lessons learned. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I am not a great fan of films that last two hours or longer.

I had to keep my eyes wide open all throughout the screening of Bahay Kubo and enjoy every minute of it.

My eyes were glued to the screen. The film intrigued me, not only because of its lead stars Maricel Soriano and Eric Quizon. The story of adopting children caught my attention.

The thought of adopting or becoming a foster parent has occurred to me many times. But I’m still afraid I cannot fulfill my duties.

After all, I’m only 22. I can probably wait a couple more years before adopting kids.

In Bahay Kubo, Maricel or Eden becomes an instant mother of seven. She takes it upon herself to accept God’s gift of children who are left on her doorstep. She becomes the best mother she could be.

As the children grow up and begin to make their own decisions, things get more complicated.

They argue over the issue of adoption. The presence of Eden’s biological child complicates things.

Eden’s determination has kept her family together despite all the trials and the parents wanting to get their respective children back.

I said it before. And I’ll say it again. When Maricel cries, I cry.

Her performance along with that of the children is amazing.

After the screening, I understood why I felt so content about spending Christmas Day with family and friends.

Acceptance and understanding can fix nearly everything in this world. Only love and determination can keep our families intact, whether they are blood-related or just family by heart.

If we keep all these — and God’s word — in mind, 2008 will be even more fruitful than 2007.

If you haven’t had the chance to see Bahay Kubo, make time for it so that you’ll know exactly what kind of determination I’m speaking about.

Happy New Year. May we all have a wonderful year ahead of us.