Module 1: James Ramos

“Nailed,” & “Bontoc Eulogy” Critical Reflection Paper
In the film, Nailed, it tells the story of an American women’s journey to the Philippines as she witnesses and documents religious rituals performed by the Filipinos. The main ritual she primarily highlights throughout the duration of the film is the reenactment of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. Being that Catholicism is the primary religion in the Philippine’s, this film explains how fixated Filipinos are with their faith with God. One part of the film she portrays is their obsession with the Santo Nino and Virgin Mary statues. They would be seen touching and caressing these statues as if somehow it made them feel connected with the sacred, God. In addition, they also showed Filipinos performing religious ceremonies at the cemeteries celebrating the death of their ancestors. And lastly, Filipinos would hold parades dressed in costumes depicting the life of Jesus Christ, carrying great big statues of the Santo Nino and the Virgin Mary, and have selected people reenacting the crucifixion.
As for the other film we watched, Bontoc Eulogy, it explains the story of the Filipino tribes in the Philippines, mainly the Igorots, traveling to the United States of America. From there, the selected Igorot’s who took the so-called opportunity to experience the outside world are displayed and observed by other cultures; particularly the more developed ones at the world exhibition fair held in St. Louis. Once the Igorots arrive, we watch them go through several emotional stages as they witness and experience a culture completely different from their own. We see them astonished by the different tools the U.S. possesses, the vast structures they have built, and the different lifestyles they have valued and grew accustomed to. They are also amazed when they discover different kinds of animals such as, the flamingo and elephant. As the honeymoon period diminishes, the Igorots go through many difficulties adapting to this new culture and realize they want to go back to their homeland. However, it doesn’t seem too easy for them to accomplish.
My reaction towards the first film, Nailed, was very disturbing and very uncomfortable to watch. In the beginning, I was confused when they kept switching clips of a pig being killed by a group of Filipinos to images of American companies in Manila such as, McDonalds, Coca-cola, Adidas, etc. Then, immediately they would show images of cathedral church and statues of the Santo Nino, alternating video clip to video clip in this order. Gradually, I learned to understand the message they were trying to send and it was how two cultures, U.S. and Filipino, were greatly contradicting one another. Although I could see the increasing influence of the American culture in the Philippines, the film primarily focused more upon the religious aspect of the Filipino culture, mainly Catholicism. Watching some of the ceremonies and rituals they performed were very awkward and kind of entertaining at the same time. For instance, I found it amusing to see them in costumes such as, Roman soldiers, Jesus, Mary, devils, demons, and prostitutes’ who were mainly men marching in parades. From my understanding, these parades symbolized a reenactment during the time of Christ called, ‘Folk Catholicism.’
Although it was interesting to watch this part of the film, it seemed as though they were very serious about their religious rituals as it continued. Their reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the most disturbing scene to view. I remember grinding my teeth and covering my eyes when they finally started nailing the woman, Lucille, to the cross. For the first 15 seconds, I couldn’t even bare to look at the screen until they completely nailed her to the cross. Seeing the nails pierced into her hands and feet made me angry towards everyone including the woman. I felt that it was ethically wrong to perform such acts, and that people go too far with their beliefs. I even felt embarrassed of my own ethnicity during that moment.
On the other hand, I had to understand the history of the Filipinos and that the missionaries who came some 400 years ago greatly influenced their religious beliefs. Furthermore, I had to understand that this was only a film, and that I am only here to analyze and understand the Filipino culture. Even though I may be Filipino myself, I know I’m Americanized and accustomed to the American way.
As for the other film, Bontoc Eulogy, it was interesting to learn about the Filipino tribes, especially the Igorots. The idea of primitive Filipino tribes in the Philippines intrigued me the most because I was never taught about them growing up. Watching this film helped me appreciate their lifestyle because they lived very simple lives. I enjoyed watching that part of the film, but I disliked the parts that showed them being treated like lab animals. It showed Filipinos as if we were experiments for the white race.
All in all, the films were quite interesting to watch and very much of an eye opener. For some odd reason, I’m actually looking forward to the other films, even though they might be even more discomforting to watch. Maybe it’s my curiosity.