PADRE DE PAMILYA Review and Reflection

Padre de Pamilya is an independent film by director Cesar Evangelista Buendia. It is a film that’s real and honest. It has the country’s culture of corruption and values and how it was able to affect Filipino families. It is also a film that reflect what the current times are doing to the Catholic Families in the Philippines.

The film illustrated a father who loved his family that because of financial issues he was able to do  inappropriate actions just so he could satisfy the needs of his loved ones. He was tempted by money and what it could give to his family. Fortunately, his criminal act was caught by the media and was thus sent to jail. His children also suffered from social injustice. It was a different film from what is usually seen by people. It was something realistic and is currently happening to the country and in every Filipino household.

The main question to be asked here is what does a person need to prioritize, the ones that he loves, such as his family, or God; His teachings and the life He wanted all His people to live?

Man was given free will to choose between good or evil and because of love and mixed understanding of how love should be expressed, he was able to decide without consulting what the Lord would want and would often forget the difference between good and evil. Because of love, the father in the film, Joselito, was forced to use his power of being in the government to cheat his way into earning more money. He was so desperate to provide for his family that he forgot what God wants him to do. He thought that there was no way out of his misery and that cheating was the only answer to his problems, although he was always praying with his family and instilled to the minds of his children the values of prayer. The mayor in this film is also a replica of a typical politician who had power, money and a smile that could persuade people to believe him.

I could say that the movie had an effective appeal to it. It had a message not only focused on the youth but to ever Filipino family. The movie was able to give the viewers the chance to reflect on their own personal lives and how it is governed by freedom, greed and love.

After seeing the film I wanted to make a change for this country. I have been an advocate for peace for a couple of years now and I know that the country needs to put in action what they always say. Filipinos have always been dreamers, they have always been dreaming of a corrupt free country. Every Filipino would always want a fairy tale ending, a happy story of romance and drama. Each Filipino always wanted to see happiness and morale in everything that they see, especially in movies. I always think that we don’t just have to be dreamers, we should always be dream makers. We don’t have to keep on praying for solutions, we can become the answer to our country's prayers.

I think that I already am in the right path in rebuilding this nation. Through my spiritual foundation and my love for the country, I will make something out of the nothing. I also believe that this movie was created for every individual to open their eyes to what is happening to the country today and how it would affect the future generation.