Mendoza, Samantha Claire C.

12000299

“Amigo” - Film Reaction Paper

Prior to watching the film “Amigo”, I honestly had little to no knowledge of what it

was really like during the American colonization period. I had always simply understood

that it was a difficult time for the Filipino people due to the wars and slavery. In addition,

I could not really recall any of my lessons back in highschool regarding the American

colonization period, but at the back of my mind, I just thought of it as another dark

period in Philippine history, much like what the Philippines has gone through during the

Spanish Colonization period but less cruel. In all honesty, history was one of my least

favorite subjects because I found it difficult to stay interested in the lessons that were

taught to us back then in highschool. However, after watching the movie, it opened my

eyes to some of the realities that occurred during the American colonization period. It

eventually allowed me to learn more about what occurred during that time of history and

ultimately, led me to seeing that period in history in a new light. Apart from the struggles

that were faced by Rafael and the other characters, what truly stood out to me the most

was the film’s unbiased approach towards how the Americans treated the Filipinos

during that period in time. Although in the first part of the film, they did show how cruel

and merciless the Americans could be, especially with how they seemed quite territorial

and aggressive towards the people of San Isidro. However, later on the film showed

how the Americans became more compassionate towards the Filipinos especially upon

realizing the situation the people of San Isidro were in. It was at this point where I felt

quite conflicted because it was far from what I recall from my highschool history
lessons. However, it was also at this point where it piqued my interest and made me

want to know more about what truly happened during the American Colonization period.