I feel that this movie showcases the role of a Filipino woman in a modern world versus a more traditional role. Through the role of Lea, you are able to see how she has to tackle her life and responsibilities. She still captures traditional roles of a Filipino woman such as the care for her children, but on top of that, she is working, participating in various organizations, and very expressive about her role as a woman.
Lea was very vocal in her ways. She expressed what she wanted to say without hesitation. Despite her divorce with her first husband and her troubled relationship with her second one, she confronts them by being open with her feelings especially with her sexual life. As a traditional role, Filipino women would usually be quiet and not speak out. Although on the verge of losing her children as well, she allows them to make decisions whether to go with their father’s or to stay with her. Ojie and Maya seem to be confused at first at why she doesn’t make the decision for them, but realized later that they wanted to be with her at the end. At times she was out spoken when she was talking to her children’s principle who seemed to be more traditional. With conviction, she was very vocal and said as she pleased without shame.
She has to tackle many conflicting issues. One of which was her own life, trying to get herself back together because things were falling apart. She had a conflicting relationship with both of her husband’s. There were challenging moments with her children. She had many issues with her job. Balancing her life in modern times doesn’t seem to be easy. You can see her frustrations as she would cry during the night but are able to see that she is strong minded as she found solutions to overcome these matters. Again, in a traditional sense, Filipino woman would usually be at home – cooking, watching the children, cleaning, etc. This is a total opposite of what Lea portrays. She is now doing everything – from the care of her children to working outside of the home. In a way this is a positive thing, especially in the eyes of woman as you can see that opportunities are coming about for woman and not just for men. They are functional in the work force as men. They are capable of doing things that men would do. In times of today, woman are taking a stand in their lives.
One thing that I also noticed about Lea’s character was that she was very open about her sexual lifestyle. She was very expressive about what she wanted when she was making love with her partners. Throughout various scenes, there was a moment where she confronted someone and talked about how she did not feel any connection when making love. I think before Raffy left, when she had the one last request with him, I felt that she had her peace at that moment, where she felt real and that there was that connection that she was looking for. Issues such as this are sensitive but also play a big role in a relationship. It is interesting how this situation was integrated into the movie, to provide some seriousness and truth to what maybe women are feeling in today’s modern lifestyle.
Lastly, I feel that the graduation scenes were key in the movie as they represented a sense of accomplishments and a new start of another chapter in life. Lea being the guest speaker for the graduation was significant as her story and words of wisdom to the graduates stemmed from her own personal experiences. For her to share such story, I feel, made a great closure to the movie. Candles at the end also provided great representation for purity and cleanliness. Again an opportunity for a new start despite all that had happened in her life.
As the title entails, bata-bata, which I think describes how her experiences overtime has shaped her to what she has become. It was an entertaining film but yet a very truthful one through the role of Lea.
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