Before I had seen the film Heneral Luna, I had already heard about all the praises being heaped onto the cinematic masterpiece. It made me even more anxious to see it and see for myself what everyone was buzzing about. Luckily, due to the social media firestorm that erupted when certain movie the s began pulling the film out after only one week, I still had the chance to catch the movie in the theater (many of which started bringing it back after seeing the commercial success).
I was happy to find out that the hype was not without reason. Indeed, Heneral Luna was a brilliant masterpiece and I, along with the entire full theater, found myself applauding at the end. I think this may have been the first time that a Filipino movie truly moved me and made me think about Filipinos and the state of our country both in the past and in the present. It’s quite fitting that this movie should come out now as we are all at a proverbial crossroads in our history and have to decide and act on what to do next.
They say that those who don’t know their own history are doomed to repeat it and I think that that saying could not be truer for Filipinos. While we take pride in our country and love the Philippines, we tend to block out the bad things that have happened and oftentimes even forget that they happened at all. This stems from the fact that Filipinos just want to have fun and laugh. In order to be able to do that, we turn away from our problems and in doing so tend to forget everything that we have been through in the past. This causes us to repeat our mistakes over and over again.
I read a review that said the beauty of Heneral Luna is that is made Filipinos feel several emotions all at once – pride, anger, even shame. It is definitely true. While there was most definitely a feeling of pride while seeing the movie unfold, there was also anger and shame as well to discover that in all the years that have passed since General Luna’s time, not much has really changed in our political landscape. The players may be different (ironically, some names are still the same), but the problems remain. How sad to think we’ve come this far and have really not come very far at all.
What makes this movie such a success, other than the beautiful cinematography and creative execution, is that it is far more than just a cheap anti-American film, but a thoughtful and insightful artistic piece that highlights parts of our history that we aren’t as familiar with. After all, let’s face it; Antonio Luna was not as popular a historical figure as his counterparts Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio. But now, thanks to this film and other poignant recent work about Filipino history, we are finally left questioning our own history and thirsty for knowledge about our past.
Heneral Luna highlights the internal divisions that were the crux of the problem of Filipino revolutionaries – divisions that still haunt our country and our countrymen to this day. Antonio Luna, who was raised in Manila and educated abroad, was a perfect combination of patriotic and international, and was, in so many ways, the Philippines’ “only true general” as dubbed by American generals Bell and Hughes. In essence, he was the perfect person to make a stand and show others how to fight for the country and for our countrymen. And in doing so, he painted a bullseye on his back and paid the ultimate price.
However, it’s not to say that Luna was not without his faults. His passion was fueled by fire and he didn’t quite know how to properly temper the flames. Despite his stellar education and his employing smart and cutting edge military tactics in the war against the West, he also let his temper and his frustrations get the better of him. I think the movie did a wonderful job of showing both sides of his character. While he was desperately nationalistic, he did lack certain attributes leaders need such as the necessity of charm, persuasion, the ability to compartmentalize and co-exist, and of course political finesse.
In the end, I think Antonio Luna could have made a huge difference in our country’s history had he only been given the proper chance. However, despite his untimely end robbing him of the opportunity to do so, I don’t think it’s too late. I’m glad this movie was made and is a way of educating (or re-educating) us once again and motivating the youth to learn more about our shared past and to ask questions. It starts there after all. We must question everything and never be okay with the norm just because it is the way things have always been done. We have to be able to challenge our own systems if we feel they do not work.
I hope that this, along with the general feeling of restlessness, serves as a flame that ignites change. The Philippines has been long overdue for an awakening and we have the chance to make it happen here and now. It’s about time we demand better for ourselves and take a stand. Let’s not let history continue to repeat itself and take the opportunity to break free and write a new and better chapter in our nation’s history.
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I was glad to note that Manila’s own “Dirty Harry”, former Mayor Alfredo Lim is planning to seek his former position in the upcoming elections. I’ve known Fred Lim personally for a long time and I think he is an ideal candidate to take a tough stance on the rising crime that has been plaguing Manila in recent years. I hope that the people see his good and clean track record and give him the chance to combat the problems they face like illegal drugs and illegal gambling.
However, the news also reports that incumbent Mayor Joseph Estrada will also seek re-election in the coming polls. I suppose we’ll see if his constituents were happy with his leadership and keep him in power. Many things can still change during the months leading up to the elections. I still remember a time when we were waiting to see if Estrada would once again run for President. He was quite vocal about being shoved out of office before his time. Now, he faces the choice of running once again or supporting either his goddaughter Poe or UNA candidate Binay and seeking re-election in Manila. I guess we’ll find out soon enough as the time draws nearer.