Jose Rizal College

The film emphasized the fruitful life of Jose Rizal. José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, an important person in the history of the Philippines and an icon that we can find in every history books in our country. We know him as the guy who dated a lot of women, he was short and not that physically attractive as others but he was more than that. Behind that minute physique of his, is a man that was full of courage and bravery. The film didn’t fail to give everyone an idea about how brave and bold Rizal was to stand for what he believed was right and what our country truly deserved. It uncovered his life from his childhood until his execution at the hands of the Spanish colonizers, who occupied Philippines for 333 years. The film also highlighted his two famous novels, ‘Noli Me Tangere’ and ‘El Filibusterismo’, and the character which Rizal immortalized- Simoun and Señor Ibarra. It also through a series of flashback showing Rizal as a genius, a writer, a doctor, an artist, a lover, a friend, a brother and a son, thus giving a rich texture of Rizal’s character.

It was through the film that I was able to fully comprehend what we’ve been discussing in the class. To watch everything that we’ve been reading for the whole semester opened my eyes and made me empathize to the Filipinos during those era. The film introduced me to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars; it showed how selfish the friars were and how far they would go just to fulfill their own self-centered plans. The movie gave me an idea about how Jose Rizal, which is just an ordinary citizen like us, helped our country acquire independence. It showed us how hard it was for them to gain the freedom that we are enjoying right now. That behind every free man at the moment is equivalent to a man that was maltreated by the Spaniards before. It was a very heroic thing to do, sacrificing your own life and not having the assurance if all your sacrifices will be worth it in the end.

Rizal believes that education is the key to a brighter future. He committed himself to the pursuit of both knowledge and wisdom. He went to places always with a mind set to learn. He is not satisfied with observation; Rizal extracts all the learning and insights from it. He also transcends from a mere learned person, he applies what he had learned. The best example of this was his great novels, his inventions, his discoveries and his community projects. Rizal constantly observes, extracts insights and applies it with the underlying current of helping to liberate an oppressed people. It’s obvious how Filipinos nowadays value education. Beyond doubt, Rizal influenced every Filipino to pursue knowledge, wisdom, and excellence.

After watching this film documenting Rizal’s life I couldn’t help but to feel the sense of pride being him as the Philippine National Hero. A true hero will not sacrifice the life of other people but himself and that’s what Rizal has shown. He would rather accept all the consequences of all his writings than let his fellow Filipino to be killed in a revolution. Rizal also saw that the Filipinos that time were not ready for a great revolution so he preferred for the revolution of the mind through his writings and he succeeded in that. He advocated a peaceful and a diplomatic way to speak out Spanish indifferences. He’s indeed an exemplary example of Filipino values. Rizal was just a normal person, just like a man that you can see at the streets every day. He falls in love, values his family and behaves like an ordinary individual. What makes him exceptional is that he stands by what he think is right and he doesn’t just talk the talk but he walks the walk. “I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land. You who have it to see, welcome it and forget not those who have fallen during the night!” – José Rizal