How did the director present his ideas on Rizal's retraction?

Do you believe Rizal retracted his

words against the friars, freemasonry, religion and government? How does the retraction
affect Rizal's legacy and heroism?

The director is thinking of ways on how to make a movie about Jose Rizal. While examining a
painting which shows Rizal before being shot, the director thought that the movie should be about a
detective movie but is unsure on what specific topic. The director, together with his friend, came up
with more topics such as Rizal versus Bonifacio and Rizal’s love to Josephine. Then, the director
thought of the idea of Rizal holding a rosary. Because of this, the director thought about making a
movie about the retraction of Rizal. In the movie, the director presented the controversial retraction by
using flashbacks and interrogating characters involved in Rizal’s life. This is a clever way to present
ideas since characters such as Paciano, Teodora, Josephina, Padre Balaguer and etc. were able to
tell their story regarding the controversial retraction and to show the possibilities of what actually
happened during those times based on evidences present today.

It was stated in the movie that Jose Rizal’s lover, Josephine Bracken, might be the reason on
why there is a retraction document. In the movie, it was showed that Jose Rizal would not sign the
retraction document unless the church allowed his marriage with Josephine Bracken. The text found
in the document was said to be genuine but the signature found on the document is questionable since
the document was left in the hands of priests. During those times, the church is also the government
and the retraction of the ideas and works of Jose Rizal would greatly benefit them. Due to this, I believe
that Jose Rizal was not the one who signed but it was the priests who actually signed the document.
The problem in the retraction controversy is that there are a lot of gray areas and that there are no
actual solid evidence that Rizal was the one who signed the agreement. As stated by the director,
”Kanya-kanyang Rizal yan”.

If it was proven that Jose Rizal actually was the one who signed the retraction document, it would
greatly affect his legacy and image as a national hero. His retraction would mean throwing away his
life’s work and all his sacrifices. This would mean that he succumbed to the Spanish government. Due
to this, some people who idolizes Jose Rizal might change their mind towards the heroism of our
national hero.