...that
I couldn't help but be charmed. The film was called "Purok
7". It was the story of 2 siblings left by their parents to fend for
themselves: the mother, to try her luck as an ofw, and the father, to start a
new family. It goes on to show how these kids are able to support themselves
and thrive. It shows a community which nurtures and protects them in every
little way that counts.
I
love that the kids, even at their young age, were not dependent on handouts,
but rather, do their best to be self-sufficient. They offer to do odd-jobs,
sell frogs they catch, and generally pick off the land. In
their tightly-woven, small town community of well-meaning neighbors, you can't help but envy them the simplicity of provincial life, in particular, the honest care and strong loyalty so freely and generously given and gratefully received. You realize then how the kids
are able to grow up with none of the self-pitying and the self-entitled attitude
of those who expect to receive help because they were born poor. Amid the difficulties
that these kids face on a day-to-day basis, there was still a refreshing
innocence about them that allow them to appreciate the little joys and simple pleasures
to be had from their not so idyllic life, and to hope for and believe in a future
they've been promised.
Of
the many things I appreciated about the movie, one of the most important was
that they downplayed the drama. Oh, the emotions were definitely there, but it wasn't
all there was. You see them struggle with
some inner conflict: loyalty to their mother who was working in a distant land
and the longing for security and to be accepted in their father's new family. They
also ably demonstrated the strong bond that the siblings developed from learning
to be each other's support system. Even the lighter emotions were clearly felt:
the joyful victory of winning something from the town fiesta, the excitement of
going to the "perya" for the first time, and of course who could ignore, the sweetly
portrayed budding of a first crush.
All
in all, there was a charming honesty and a refreshing lightness to the film that
gave it a believable reality. We should all be so lucky to have memories such as
these to look back on, being temporarily orphaned notwithstanding. It’s a film
I would watch again and again, if only to recapture or maybe borrow for a time,
some of that innocence.
