Bayaning Third World

Bilib ka ba kay Rizal o wala ka lang pakialam?De leon's masterpiece simply portrayed the Image of Rizal as a hero and how much we know about his life.  

Bayaning Third World

The movie is primarily about two film-makers who have hopes of making a movie about the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal. Wanting to be as accurate as possible, the two research on the life of Jose Rizal, his death, and his supposed retraction to the Catholic Church, the very Church he heavily criticized in his two novels, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The movie creatively shows the research process by having the film-makers interview the historical figures involved in Rizal’s Life. Historical figures such as Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso, his siblings, his supposed wife, Josephine Bracken, and certain other Jesuits who claim that they witnessed the aforementioned retraction. The Movie culminates with the interview of Rizal himself.

Josephine Bracken : Wife of Rizal? Or Among the other girls?

The movie is a deep analysis of the life of Jose Rizal and the people he was involved with. By having the film-makers “interview” these historical figures, known facts about the national hero as well as historical events pertaining to him are shown in a completely new light.In general, the film-makers analysis of Rizal’s life focused on one thing, his supposed retraction to the Catholic Church. A source of controversy. The authenticity of Rizal’s signature in the document is the question that these two film-makers strive to answer. Was the document, as well as the signature, a forgery by the Spanish or was it authentic? If authentic, why did Rizal do as such? This was against his character and his beliefs which he made no attempt to hide, earlier in his life. If the document is authentic, why did the Spanish still have him executed? The film-makers then interview different figures who were prominent in Rizal’s life in order to arrive at the truth. In a sense, the movie plays out like a detective story, having a mystery and interviewing key witnesses in order to make sense of it all.

The film-makers interviewed Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso, to get a better idea of what the young Rizal was like. They wanted to see if Rizal was devout in worship as a child. Perhaps if he were, this could provide insight on the decision to retract. Rizal’s siblings were also interviewed and they also provided insights to what Rizal was going through on his last days. Jesuit priests who claim to have witnessed Rizal’s retraction were also interviewed, thought the film-makers remain skeptical of what they say considering who they are. And of course, Rizal’s lover, Josephine Bracken, was also interviewed. She claimed that Rizal wished to marry her and that he could only do so by signing a retraction to the Catholic Church. She claims that they were married but no one, not even the film-makers, can prove this claim. This is due to the fact that although there was a retraction found, no catholic marriage certificate between the two. Finally, the two film-makers go to interview Rizal himself. But he does not provide any additional insight that could aid the two.

One of the themes of the film is the depiction of Jose Rizal as a mysterious figure. His retraction could undo everything he did against the Spanish. If the document was indeed authentic, then would he really deserve to be our nation’s national hero? Of course there is no evidence to support that the document was indeed authentic but this does not necessarily mean that it is a forgery. The film-makers are shown to be frustrated at their inability to arrive at the truth and for a brief moment, begin to doubt the National Hero. The film highlights the irony of how Rizal is the national hero of the Philippines and yet we are not able to verify much about him. How can we agree on whether or not he should be our national hero when some of us can’t even agree on the answer to the question “Who is Rizal?”

Rizal is a hero, of that there is no doubt. But if we compare what he did to the actions of the other Philippine heroes of his time, it becomes debatable whether or not we can call him our national hero. There are different answers and opinions to the question of whether or not he deserves the title. There are those in favor of him being our national hero, and those who are against it.

It’s good that those involved in this film sought out to find the truth. This is, after all, how we learn about history. They are thorough in their endeavors and while the output of their work is well researched, they do admit that they can’t find the answers to every question regarding Rizal. Perhaps some of the answers to those questions will remain a secret for an indefinite amount of time, a fact that is expressed through the frustration of the two film-makers in the film.  As said in the acclaimed film “The Life of Pi”, “Doubt keeps the faith living.” Trying to make sense of history amidst the unknown is like this. Rizal is a hero, but this does not mean that he was perfect. He did things in a way that some of us may disagree with but this does not mean that he was any less of a hero.