The Kingdom And The Breadwinner Is: Relatable For Families
Two films from the Metro Manila Film Festival – The Kingdom and The Breadwinner tackle problems within the family.
The Metro Manila Film Festival has been extended until January 14, allowing the audience to catch all 10 films. In the 2024 edition, two films, The Kingdom and The Breadwinner Is, shed light on issues relatable to families.
The Kingdom: Torn between obligation and family
There has been so much hype and curiosity about The Kingdom since the trailer came out last December. This is the first time Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual worked together, and the concept of a country uncolonized and ruled by a monarchy.
Director Mike Tuviera told Modern Parenting that family is the core of the storyline, and indeed it was. The film saw Lakan Makisig (Vic Sotto) facing different issues among his children Bagwis, Matimyas, and Lualhati. At the same time, he found himself facing the ghost of a past in the form of Sulo (Piolo), whose family member died because of Makisig.
Makisig found himself torn between obligation and his family, especially with his favorite Lualhati, who was set to marry the prince of Thailand for their kingdom’s sake until she was kidnapped. He also has an icy relationship with his daughter Matimyas, who he welcomed back into his home but treated coldly because of elopement with the son of his rival. And there was Bagwis, his son, who was groomed to be the next ruler, but had an iron-clad treatment towards people.
But if his family members were already a main concern, Makisig also had to do with a revolt from people against the monarchy and Sulo’s challenge against him at the film’s climax. I won’t spoil the rest of the story to allow people to watch. More than the question of what if the Philippines was not colonized, The Kingdom is a movie that is relatable because of the family dynamics, showing that a monarch family also faces problems like other citizens.
And the Breadwinner Is: The pain often set aside
Vice Ganda has always been a staple in the festival for comedy films. But in And The Breadwinner Is, the It’s Showtime host dabbled in drama, telling the story of OFWs who have become the breadwinners of their families.
In the film, Vice plays Bambi, an OFW who works odd jobs in Taiwan to provide for his family, including his younger brother Biboy, his wife Mayet, and younger siblings Buneng and Boy. His mom meanwhile has been suffering from memory loss.
When Bambi returns to the Philippines, she is dismayed that the money she has been saving for the house was used for other things. The family initially thought Bambi died in an accident and was about to get the insurance money. When she returns, Bambi agreed to help them get the money, even if it means pretending to be dead.
But the situation gets complicated when the family’s older sibling, Baby (Eugene Domingo) returns opening a Pandora’s box of anger and tension among the siblings. In the middle of the sibling’s squabble, they re-opened their late father’s bakery to make the kabog bread, which became known in their neighborhood.
When Bambi and Biboy got into an argument, the frustration and anger among all the siblings came out. Baby confessed the hardships she went through abroad. Bambi told her siblings that being a breadwinner was not easy and that she wanted to give up several times. But her love for the family was the reason she continued to persevere.
Although the story could have been fleshed out better, And The Breadwinner Is depicts the hidden pain of breadwinners. Members of the family, especially mothers who leave their children to work for their future, endure the separation and loneliness abroad and work several hours to send money to their families. The film reminds us not to take family members for granted, especially those who have become breadwinners.
The film also mirrors the situations of families that need to be addressed. It includes the grown-up kids who need to be heard or discover their identities in a world that always judges. And The Breadwinner Is a film to remind families to take care of each other, and be there for each other.
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