Module 1 - J. Villahermosa

“Nailed” and “Bontoc Eulogy”

The films “Nailed” and “Bontoc Eulogy” present a lot of the traditions and cultural practices of the Philippines. The film “Nailed” focuses on the strong religious beliefs of Filipinos and the practices to honor their God. The film “Bontoc Eulogy” was about a tribe in the Philippines who were transferred to live in the United States and showed their unique practices and lifestyle. The films “Nailed” and “Bontoc Eulogy” are two films that illustrate the religion, beliefs, practices, customs and overall culture of the Philippines.
Religion was the focus of the film “Nailed”. The film was about a woman named Lucy who had a calling to perform an act similar to her God. She did a religious act in which she was nailed to a cross. She was nailed through her hands and feet. Before she was nailed, she also did a religious exercise in which she was tied to a human size cross and dragged across the ground. She was also beaten on her back. Many spectators viewed this religious event which happened during the holy week in the Philippines. The film also displayed other practices in which men whipped themselves in the back which caused them to bleed. Celebrations and other festivals were also demonstrated in the film. One the celebrations were a day in which the God Santa Nino was honored. Another celebration was the All Souls Day in which deceased family members were respected.
On the other hand, the film “Bontoc Eulogy” did not focus on religion. Instead, its focus was on the tribe Bontoc in the Philippines. The film started off with a man who recalls his life back in the Philippines. The man is now living in the United States and he compares his life in the Philippines to his children’s life in America. He discusses his grandfathers. One of his grandfathers was part of the war and his other grandfather was part of the tribe Bontoc. His grandfather, who was part of the Bontoc tribe, traveled to the United States with his tribe and made a living there. They brought their practices and customs to the United States. The Americans marveled at their strange ways and unique lifestyle in the film. Conversely, the man’s grandfather was astonished by the Americans’ exquisite entertainment and everyday life.
The choice to film Filipinos acting, performing and celebrating religious and everyday life practices allow explaining of the social and cultural history of the Philippines. The films “Nailed” and “Bonton Eulogy” incorporated clips of religious acts, traditions, beliefs, and everyday means of living. The film “Nailed” showed various religious acts such as the nailing to the cross and the honoring of the Santa Nino. The film “Bontoc Eulogy” illustrated a war in the Philippines and the way the Bontoc tribe survived and acquired their food. Filming these practices allows showing of what the Filipino culture is like and the social history of the Filipinos.
The film “Nailed” showed a lot of religious acts that are very different to my religion. Although most Filipinos are Catholic and my religion is Catholic, my religious practices are dissimilar to those of the film. I didn’t expect that people would go beyond limits to honor their God. In the film, their religious customs consist of pain and torture. Some of their customs resulted in bleeding. I was shocked to see the anguish Filipinos would go through to pay tribute to their God.
My opinions of the film “Nailed” allowed me to see why people should act ethically. I viewed the religious beliefs and activities of the Filipinos in the film “Nailed” in my own culture. I thought of their traditions as wrong because it didn’t agree with what’s right of my culture. My views of the traditions do not show that I am acting ethically. In my culture, those traditions are immoral, but the culture in the film shows that those traditions are appropriate. It must be understood that there are various cultures in the world and another culture’s will not always agree with one’s own culture.
If I continue with my culture relativism, I would be in conflict with people of different cultures. To prevent misunderstandings, people should act ethically. Not acting ethically is what causes arguments and dispute among people and the world. In addition, if people did not act ethically they would not be able to go far in life. Goals and success would not be reached and quarrels would always be occurring. Acting ethically would help people stay in line and act accordingly.
Culture plays a big role in how people act ethically. Cultures vary tremendously. Each culture has its own beliefs in what’s right or wrong. Culture is relevant in ethical decision-making because of the differences between cultures. Knowing the beliefs and traditions of a culture allows making the right decision. If a one’s culture is not known before making a decision, one could make an error in decision making. That decision could not be in agreement with that particular culture.
Because of the role that culture plays in how people act ethically culture would also guide human life. Culture is the beliefs and behavior of a group of people. People would live their life by these beliefs and behaviors. Culture is a way of living and this in turn will give people direction and guidance with their life.
“Nailed” and “Bontoc Eulogy” are remarkable and interesting films which demonstrate a lot of the Filipino culture. These films truly illustrated the culture of the Philippines. It also showed the history of the Filipinos. These films also allowed me to not be ethnocentric, understand that culture varies vastly and why one should act ethically.