The Philippines officially ceased being a US colony in 1946, but it continues to be the most salient feature of contemporary Philippine life, says scholar E. San Juan.
No surprise, then, that Filipino movies continue to depict this problematic relationship, foreground this melodramatic scenes of nostalgia and homelessness, and to a certain extent even wrestle with this conundrum.
Here are some of the best movies that deal with the problems of Pinoys in the US and watching them until now provide interesting insights on what it means to live in the US, to be an OFW, to be a mother, gay, to return back in the country:
Amigo
Dir: John Sayles (2010). USA. Joel Torre, Chris Cooper, Garret Dillahunt.
The film takes place in the Philippines in 1900 during the Philippine-American War. The film centers on Rafael Dacanay, a captain of the fictional barrio of San Isidro in a rice-growing area of Luzon.
His brother Simón, head of the local guerrilla band, has forced the surrender of the Spanish guardia civil outpost and charged Rafael with the task of imprisoning the guards and the barrio’s Spanish friar, Padre Hidalgo, in the name of the revolutionary government.
But when the American troops chasing General Emilio Aguinaldo arrive, the Spanish officer and Padre Hidalgo are freed, and a garrison under the command of Lieutenant Ike Compton is left to “protect” the barrio.
The American occupation policy now changes from “hearts and minds” to “concentration” and Rafael has to answer to both the Americans and the Filipino patriots, with deadly consequences.
‘Merika
Dir: Gil Portes (1984). Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco, Marilyn Concepcion.
Nora Aunor is Mila, an Overseas Filipino Worker who works as a nurse in America. Mila is living the American dream or at least the Filipino’s idea of the American dream. As she struggles to fight loneliness and homesickness in the foreign land, she is also a witness to the struggles of a fairly representative sector of Filipinos living in America.
Batang PX
Dir: Jose Javier Reyes (1997). Patrick Garcia, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Edu Manzano.
Amboy, played by Patrick Garcia, is a Fil-Am kid patiently anticipating his father’s homecoming. Stories from Amboy’s mom are the only things he knows about his father. His wish is granted when he finally meets his father. However, things don’t turn out the way they were planned.
In My Life
Dir: Oliva Lamasan (2009). Vilma Santos, Luis Manzano, John Lloyd Cruz.
Shirley Templo (Vilma Santos-Recto) is a ruthless woman who works as a librarian. Since all her children have already moved out, Shirley decides to move to New York City with her youngest and only son, Mark Salvacion (Luis Manzano), who she realizes is gay and has a partner (John Lloyd Cruz). The story centers on their struggles on living together in US, a place that seems to be ambivalent towards their attitudes and concepts of home, family, and modernity.
Sana Maulit Muli
Dir: Olivia Lamasan (1995). Writer: Jose Javier Reyes. Aga Muhlach, Lea Salonga, William Martinez.
When Agnes (Lea Salonga) is petitioned by her mother to the US, a lot of things change for her and her relationship with Jerry (Aga Muhlach). Jerry joins Agnes in the US to win her back and probably settle there but things are not what Jerry expected them to be.
