Five local films that prove courage comes in many forms

Julio Diaz

Heroes in Filipino films do not always arrive in uniform or stand at the center of history. Sometimes, they are mothers protecting their children, workers enduring years away from home, young people carrying responsibilities beyond their age, or ordinary citizens choosing to act when it would be easier not to.

This National Heroes’ Day long weekend, these films offer different portraits of courage, from resistance against colonial rule to sacrifices made within families and communities.

The resistance fighter: ‘Sakay’

Julio Diaz plays Macario Sakay in Raymond Red’s 1993 historical drama about the former Katipunero who continued resisting American rule after the fall of the First Philippine Republic. The film follows Sakay as he sustains an armed resistance movement despite being branded a bandit by colonial authorities. It also revisits how history can shape the reputation of figures whose actions were once viewed through the lens of those in power.

The mother and activist: ‘Liway’

Kip Oebanda’s 2018 film draws from his childhood inside a prison camp during martial law. Glaiza de Castro stars as a mother who uses stories to shield her son from the harsh reality surrounding them. Told partly through a child’s perspective, the film places family life alongside political resistance and shows how courage can also mean protecting a child’s sense of hope in a difficult environment. 

The migrant worker: ‘Anak’

Vilma Santos plays a domestic worker who returns from years of employment in Hong Kong to find her relationship with her children fractured. Rory Quintos’ 2000 drama explores the emotional cost of leaving home to provide for a family. Through its tense mother-daughter relationship, the film looks at sacrifice from both sides of migration and the distance that money sent home cannot always be repaired. 

The community hero: ‘Magnifico’

Heroism takes a quieter form in Maryo J. de los Reyes’ 2003 drama. Jiro Manio plays a boy from a struggling family who tries to help his sick grandmother, his younger sister, and eventually those around him. Rather than centering on a grand act, the film builds its story around small gestures of care, resourcefulness, and generosity from someone with very little to give. 

The women working far from home: ‘Sunday Beauty Queen’

Baby Ruth Villarama’s documentary follows Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong who spend their days off organizing and joining beauty pageants while navigating work, distance from home, and the realities of migrant life. The film gives space to the women’s humor, friendships, and ambitions, presenting them not only through hardship but also through the lives they continue to build for themselves. 

— Angelica Villanueva