What is an example reaction paper for the Jose Rizal movie?

Answer 1

The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. It covers his life from his childhood to his execution at the hands of the Spanish forces occupying the Philippines in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal's novels. So we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal.

One note, this movie is not for the faint of heart. There are graphic depictions of violence and even torture. The opening few scenes depict some episodes from Rizal's novels. In one a Catholic priest rapes a Filipina. I guess I now know where the Mestizo (i.e., mixed blood) class came from in the Philippines. In the other scene a Catholic priest beats a child for alleged stealing. Strong stuff, and it made me wonder how the Catholic Church could possibly retain any power in the country, if this is what the national hero thought about it.

The movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harsh and unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. We see scenes both from Rizal's actual life but also from his imagination.

As a young man, Jose is sent to study in Spain. This is a plan hatched by his brother Paciano. Jose will write and do everything in his power to bring to the attention of the world the abuses of Spanish power in the Philippines, while Paciano will protect the Rizal family at home and keep up the struggle against Spanish rule. Jose excels in his studies as a medical student at Madrid University and eventually earns a degree as an ophthalmic surgeon. Meantime, he becomes involved with a group of radical Filipino students who also seek to end the Spanish abuses in their country.

This movie Jose Rizal is a great explanation of the Philippine tragic history. I didn't suffer the 3-hours-movie long. It shows nationalism and heroism in a nonviolent manner, though, there were instances that the characters speak in Spanish and it's hard to appreciate unless I will read the subtitles. I couldn't see that Cesar Montano and other characters were having difficulties in reciting their Spanish lines.

The plot was full of twists and turns yet still not difficult to follow but it is so confusing to watch because there were too many flashbacks and you won't even know if it is still in flashback or not. Apparently, some scenes are brutal, and some scenes are unsuitable for young kids such as the bed scenes in the first part wherein the Spanish priest with the used of his power tried to rape the Filipino woman.

The amusing surprise was the dedication of Cesar Montano to his role and matched with the good actor Jhong Hilario, played as his servant and a great actor Jaime Fabregas as Rizal's defense attorney, Lt. Taviel de Andrade, they made the story of Rizal's life easy to understand.

Anyway, it is a very good movie with the combination of a professional movie director Marilou Diaz-Abaya and multi-awarded actor Cesar Montano with the help of other actors and actresses that made the movie more pleasurable. 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. I recommend this movie to people who would like to know more about Philippine history and to anybody especially Filipinos. It was an ideal blend of Philippine national hero's life and his two proud novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

Answer 2

A reaction paper for the Jose Rizal movie can include discussing the impact of Rizal's life and works on the Philippine society, reflecting on the themes presented in the movie such as nationalism and social injustice, and sharing personal insights about how Rizal's story relates to current events or personal experiences. It should also critique the film's portrayal of historical events and characters, highlighting both its strengths and weaknesses.