Module 4 - k. coloma

The film for Module 4 is Santa Santita and it coincided with the ideas that the article “Everyday Ethics” addressed. The film is about a mother who prays for people and their problems for a living and a reluctant daughter, Malen, who sees no point in following after her mother’s profession. Her mother has devoted her life to praying for others. To the mother it is more than just a way of earning a living but a life, a tradition in which she is passionate about. Her daughter on the other hand believes that it is nonsense. In the beginning, Malen, is the epitome of a teenager. She goes out late, dates, rebels against her mother and does everything that a teenager would do. When her mother passes away things sudden come to a halt. She forced take over her mother’s profession in order to provide for herself. In the beginning she is indifferent to it but as the movie progresses she finds that she has the power to help to make her prayers come true. More and more each day people flock to her. As the movie progresses you see her character transform. She is willing to help others. Ultimately, it becomes too much for her when her prayer for her boyfriend’s son is not heeded. In the end, Malen finds herself through her profession and through the help of the church priest who has his own set of problems with alcohol.

My favorite character was the priest. He played a minor role in the film but I thought that he symbolized an important but imperfect person. Here is this priest who is an alcoholic trying to recover. It shows to the viewers that even the most holy people can have imperfections.

In regards to the reading, I think that everyday has its own set of problems and annoyances but its how we deal with it that matters. We just have to live our lives treating each other the way we would like to be treated. Although we are not always making ethical decisions in a hopeful ethical life we have to somehow try. Like Malen, it is better to reach your destination and goal having fallen and disappointed many times than to quit at the very first obstacle.

I thought this film was an ok film. I say this because I have watched many other films like this that caught my attention far more than this film. Those films made me sit at the edge of my seat. This film made me sleepy and most importantly irritated. I am not sure if I can attribute it to the fact that I was confused, that I didn’t like the main character, that the beginning clip of Malen in the dessert turned me of, I didn’t like how the film makers presented the story and the film itself or I am just a naïve and closed minded film viewer. I cannot deny though that the issues in this film are of importance. I finished the film thinking that you cannot always depend on god for thing to happen. You have to take in upon yourself and be responsible.