REFLECTION PAPER

'Ded Na Si Lolo' is a movie that revolves around siblings who lost their father and his
whole funeral period. It shows how the siblings mourn for their loss and the resurfacing of the
sibling's problems and misunderstandings. Filipinos are known for the rich culture and
traditions that they strictly follow. As the movie progress, we will see how these cultures and
traditions are implemented. And how they managed to face their problems. In this reflection
paper, I will identify the different symbols, heroes, rituals, and values shown in the movie.
It begins by showing Charing, who is seen running the family in order. She is like my
mother that scolds us to always be punctual and organized. We can clearly feel how she
cherish and take care of her family. She is an example of a hero that encompasses the
behavior of a Filipino mother. Later on, she found out that her father died, which caused her to
go home. I have observed that in her home the Filipino culture will soon prevail.
Symbols. There are a lot of symbols shown in the movie. The whole wake period
introduced me to famous symbols that some I have heard about. First, when the coffin arrived
one of the relatives tried to carry the coffin but they immediately stopped him because it was
apparently forbidden. One of the siblings put money in the hand of their dead father because it
allegedly brings good luck. When the younger sibling arrived home, he was wearing a red
gown that caused his other siblings to scold him. Prohibiting the wearing of red clothing at a
funeral or wake is one of the most common beliefs that I know almost all Filipino families
follow.
Rituals. The Philippines is a country that takes religious rituals very seriously. My family
always makes sure that these rituals are executed completely. Just like in the movie, they
placed a broken rosary in the dead's hand. This is to break the chain of dying people in the
bloodline. They also conducted a rosary prayer for 9 days for the soul of the dead. These
rituals are specifically carried out by Roman Catholics. I always participated in these kinds of
rituals even before I was young.
Values. Values portrayed in the movie are what stick out the most for me. They show
how Filipino cope with losing a dearest family member and how they face problems. At the
beginning of the movie, it showed how the barangay gave their condolences to the family. It is
also seen that the community tried its best to help the siblings financially. This depicts Filipino's
Bayanihan culture.
All throughout the movie, the siblings had a couple of misunderstandings. These were
rooted even before their father died. The second child seemed to often quarrel with the other
siblings; she talked badly about her sister's husband, would blame her sister for their mother's
death, and showed how she had resentment towards her father. Despite these, they always
tried to lift the mood and understand each other. Approaching the end of the movie, it was
revealed that their father has another family. This led the siblings dumbfounded, the second
child realized that their father did not purposely avoid spending time with them but went to his
other family. Eventually, the siblings confronted each other and let out all their feelings that led
to forgiveness.
 In conclusion, I think the movie vastly showed the culture of Filipino families in various
ways that I am familiar with. This is a great movie to watch if you want to know more about our
culture and traditions.