Heneral Luna

A Philippine film entitled ‘Heneral Luna’

BLOG #2

General Luna is fighting for the freedom of the Filipinos.

Philippines and Filipinos for him are his family and home. Emilio Aguinaldo, base on an article by Patrick Quinto, Emilio Aguinaldo is a traitor. As for my opinion, he is indeed. I asked my parents, my full Filipina mother about Emilio Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo is our First President in the Philippines, and he sold us to Americans, something is happening now, from Duterte, he is selling us to China, which I know Filipinos doesn't like the plan either.

General Luna is like a threat for Aguinaldo’s presidency. Emilio can not be called a hero, he is a corrupt politician, and he only desire for the power and money of the country. Joven Hernando, is a young interviewer that represents General Luna. He wasn't part of the real happenings during the crisis, he was just a fictional character made by the director. If I have to choose between, ‘my self or for my country’, I would say, Philippines. I may be half nationality but I was born in Philippines and I grew up in Philippines until present. But first I would have to defend my self first, because how could I save the people if I don't know how to save my self in the first place.

After a hundred years, something's are happening now, like example, when I heard Duterte was selling Philippines to China, that's just a Crazy talk?! Right?! Like everything is from China here in Philippines, it's global. Mostly political, governments are corrupt until now. Problems in Philippines can't be solve, there are always death in the news, and drugs in this generation. It's like, it's not safe anywhere in this world, unless with people whom you love. This movie is a masterpiece, but I just don't get why other movies got higher earnings. My mom said, “Probably audiences wanted to be happy.” But the art in this movie has a scene from a painting by Juan Luna called “Spoliarium”.

That part was when they killed Heneral Luna and dragged his body with the other body. But it was about Roman Catholic, Indios, and barbarians. Painting is located in the National Museum of the Philippines. The director used his creativity, because it was about, first of all the color, its dark, mostly black, red, and dark colors, that emphasize and gives emotions on how dark the scene is showing. Second, the action, wherein they are dragging, like those romans that symbolizes the people of Aguinaldo who are against then the person dead on the floor being dragged is Luna. Throughout the movie, I realized there was hope, in this country. Pero kapwa Filipino rin ang makakapigil dahil sa pangsariling kasayahan, tayo ay nabubulag sa katotohanan ng kung ano talaga ang buhay. I belive, Filipinos is worth dying for. This is our ONLY county, our home, and where we came from.