Santa Santita S. Smith

The film Santa Santita illustrated clear archetypes of Filipino society that helped to elucidate issues of social structure and class, patriarchal rule and authority, the influence of religion on society, and ethical issues of morality.
The symbolism of the character of the mother praying for money at the church could represent commercialism and the thinly veiled greed of religion. The actions of the church later on in the film, as they banish the daughter from the grounds, could also be a symbol of their rejection of any kind of intrusion to the power and authority the church has on society. As the mother prays for her living, we are faced with and ethical dilemma. Is it ethical to prey upon the misfortunes of others, ostensibly to give psychological support, and in the eyes of the supplicants, actual results, while ultimately going through the motions of praying solely to support one’s family? While it could be argued that the mother actually believed in the power of prayer and that her praying was directly helping the people, the complete lack of such belief and the resulting success for the daughter brings to light another issue. What kind of message were the filmmakers trying to make? Was the success of the daughter only due to her revelation after her sickness? Was the message then, through some kind of spiritual discovery would the Filipino people find happiness, or at the very least, some kind of balance psychologically between the modernization the country is going through and the connection with their past beliefs and cultural history?
The symbolism of the character of the boyfriend was also very clear, I thought. He simply represented desire: for modernization, for intimate relationships, quick results (through prayer), and acceptance in society. The filmmakers were also making a judgment on the ethicalness of such desire. In the end, he is punished and sent to jail, however he accepts his fate, just like Filipinos should. They are saying that the cultural and societal problems today are a result of wanting so many things, without the patience for them to develop gradually over time. The Philippines only a hundred years ago were still under colonial oppression, and are still in a modern day evolution culturally. Much like the Industrial revolution in the West, there are growing pains, and many people are suffering, but as a whole, the country is evolving, and gradually shifting from an agricultural, religious based patriarchal society to an industrial, secular, nuclear society.

-S. Smith