aishite imasu
I just finished watching Aishite Imasu (Mahal Kita) 1941. It is a movie set in, well 1941, during the second world war.
synopsis (leeched from Wikipilipinas):
It's December 1941, and the simple folk of the quiet town of San Nicolas are unaware that war is nearly upon them. Inya (Judy Ann Santos) is a lovely young lady who has just married her childhood sweetheart Edilberto (Raymart Santiago) and they're excited about starting a new family, Ignacio (Dennis Trillo) is Inya's bestfriend, a gay man who has been in love with the handsome Edilberto for years.
The arrival of the Japanese throws the town in Chaos.
But Edilberto, Inya and Ignacio aren't the only ones the war will change forever. Traitorous Japanese interpreter Maura (Angelu de Leon), strong-willed Tiyang Mabel (Jaclyn Jose), tough guy Anton (TJ Trinidad), and pure hearted Juliana (Iya Villania) also get caught in the winds of the war, and find themselves doing things they never thought they'd do... all for the hope of living and dying another day.
i liked it because... it wasn't a romance. there was love, but there was no happily ever after. there was no sugarcoating, no stereotyping, it was all about survival, trying to live in a time of great uncertainty. for the filipino-japanese couples, it was trying to find a balance between their love and their loyalty to their country.
i especially liked the line by the mayor to ignacio. it was in filipino, but the english translation is roughly:
ignacio: i'll speak to ichiro about helping you. i'm sure he'll let you go.
alcalde: don't mind me, my family is resigned to my fate
ignacio: but what about our country?
alcalde: don't worry about our country. worry about yourself. our country can save itself. we don't need the japanese, we don't need the americans. only our filipinos can save us. one way or another, our country will rise again. but you, ignacio, who will save you?
it was a good message, which i think all filpinos should start putting into mind. we are our own saviors. we should not depend on other people to help us. we should not let ourselves become virtual slaves to the rich countries, or else, what was the point in freeing ourselves in the first place?
there were many ways to interpret that last line about who would save ignacio. being my romantic self, i portrayed it as the mayor meaning that once the fighting starts, ignacio will have to choose. he can't stay in the middle forever. and no matter what he chooses, it will still hurt. his lover or his country?
i like movies like these because it reminds people that world war two wasn't only about hitler, or pearl harbor, or the holocaust (although i do not belittle any of them). everyone suffers in war. there is no glory in war - which is why i sometimes found the present mayor annoying in the movie.
aishite imasu is a good movie.
synopsis (leeched from Wikipilipinas):
It's December 1941, and the simple folk of the quiet town of San Nicolas are unaware that war is nearly upon them. Inya (Judy Ann Santos) is a lovely young lady who has just married her childhood sweetheart Edilberto (Raymart Santiago) and they're excited about starting a new family, Ignacio (Dennis Trillo) is Inya's bestfriend, a gay man who has been in love with the handsome Edilberto for years.
The arrival of the Japanese throws the town in Chaos.
But Edilberto, Inya and Ignacio aren't the only ones the war will change forever. Traitorous Japanese interpreter Maura (Angelu de Leon), strong-willed Tiyang Mabel (Jaclyn Jose), tough guy Anton (TJ Trinidad), and pure hearted Juliana (Iya Villania) also get caught in the winds of the war, and find themselves doing things they never thought they'd do... all for the hope of living and dying another day.
i liked it because... it wasn't a romance. there was love, but there was no happily ever after. there was no sugarcoating, no stereotyping, it was all about survival, trying to live in a time of great uncertainty. for the filipino-japanese couples, it was trying to find a balance between their love and their loyalty to their country.
i especially liked the line by the mayor to ignacio. it was in filipino, but the english translation is roughly:
ignacio: i'll speak to ichiro about helping you. i'm sure he'll let you go.
alcalde: don't mind me, my family is resigned to my fate
ignacio: but what about our country?
alcalde: don't worry about our country. worry about yourself. our country can save itself. we don't need the japanese, we don't need the americans. only our filipinos can save us. one way or another, our country will rise again. but you, ignacio, who will save you?
it was a good message, which i think all filpinos should start putting into mind. we are our own saviors. we should not depend on other people to help us. we should not let ourselves become virtual slaves to the rich countries, or else, what was the point in freeing ourselves in the first place?
there were many ways to interpret that last line about who would save ignacio. being my romantic self, i portrayed it as the mayor meaning that once the fighting starts, ignacio will have to choose. he can't stay in the middle forever. and no matter what he chooses, it will still hurt. his lover or his country?
i like movies like these because it reminds people that world war two wasn't only about hitler, or pearl harbor, or the holocaust (although i do not belittle any of them). everyone suffers in war. there is no glory in war - which is why i sometimes found the present mayor annoying in the movie.
aishite imasu is a good movie.