Name: Dzharl Ecenzze R.

Ringka
Course and Section: BSAF 1-2

A Thousand Cuts Movie Review

A Thousand Cuts is a 2020 documentary film about Maria Ressa, a high-profile

journalist that is a well known critic of President Rodrigo Duterte. Dictators rose to
power by manipulating people using fear. I believe that press freedom is important
because if the current administration is being too harsh, there are people who are willing
to fight against these atrocities. The documentary showcased one of the most
significant issues here in the Philippines: the drug war. It was presented in a way that
the issue was being tackled to its core. Also, the docu-film also shows the struggles of
the press as a whole under the current president’s regime. It served as an exposé from
the evils of the Duterte administration. This includes his police chief that served as a
drug war czar and an entertainer known for her sexy image and controversial acts.
These two capitalized on the fame that they got from the whole drug war fiasco for the
advancement of their political career. Personally, I think that the drug war would be
socially accepted if it was conducted properly and the subordinates of the current
administration didn’t abuse the authority bestowed upon them. What puzzles me most is
that despite the facts already being presented, there are still people who still choose to
be voluntarily blinded by their political beliefs. I personally believe that we must not be
blinded by whatever political preference we have. We must think of what’s best for our
country as it will be inhabited by the children of our children. Be a Filipino, not a political
fanatic. There are people who are given a huge platform for them to speak up and
influence other people. However, this platform is being used in a wrong way and it
reaches the point wherein the information being presented is already misleading and
harmful. According to Maria Ressa, personalities like Mocha Uson amplify the chaos by
spreading fake information against the critics of the Duterte administration. This is an
alarming situation because it puts a certain group of people in danger. Because the
docu-film served as an exposé, of course it will change the way how the future
generations will look at the Duterte administration. It’s up to them if they will take it
positively or negatively. I would like to commend the people behind the making of this
film because it wasn’t biased and only relied on facts. This only shows that regardless of
how injured the Philippine press freedom is, there are still people who are willing to fight
for the truth. And I think that this serves as a reminder that our vote is more powerful as
we think it is. 2022 elections is just around the corner and let’s remember to think of our
country’s welfare by voting wisely.