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Postmodern Analysis of The Film TAPB 1
Postmodern Analysis of The Film TAPB 1
Chapter 1
Introduction
Literature has become the way to express the different and changing voices of
people. It gives individuals freedom to express what they want to convey, question what
was and is happening in the world, and offer answers to those questions. Literature has
Philippine literature has been as colorful as its culture. Philippines, as the melting
pot, serves as the epitome of “halo-halo” – the mixture of different ingredients into one.
Different cultures of different colonizers have been mixed to what Filipinos have before,
and until now. Also, history did and continuously, is doing its part. The phenomena
brought by different events in Philippine history cause literatures to change from time to
time, making their meanings ambiguous and sometimes unclear for different generations.
Literary theories have been the key to open multiple meanings of texts, songs,
plays, films, and everything concerned with literature. They enable readers, listeners, and
viewers to have a clearer and deeper understanding of what a certain piece of literature is
trying to portray or convey. Several theories have been introduced to students such as:
New Criticism, Feminism, Marxism, Reader-Response, etc. As time passes by, literary
theories increase its number. Theories like Modernism and Postmodernism have been
discussed in literature classes and even in other fields of social sciences such as sociology
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and psychology. Marxism and Feminism started as a social movement both focus on the
economic, social and political equality of: Marxism – poor and rich, Feminism – men
and women. As to New Criticism and Reader-Response, both theories were introduced to
students as reading approaches before they were taught as literary theories. New
Criticism and Reader-Response are two contradicting thoughts, one focuses on “the text
itself” while the latter on the opinions and responses of the readers. These theories have
been the “knows” while other theories are still on the borderlines, some still
unfathomable.
when brought to the field of literature, was still chained to modernism. He added, “a
dozen scholars have tried to define postmodernism but would give two dozen of different
answers. This is because of other scads of intellectual –isms of the past few decades –
sometimes clumped together under the label of postmodernism.” Thus, the term
Many have tried to define Postmodernism in literature analyses but still there is no exact
The film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014) is based on the local film Bala
at Lipstik (1994) starring Roderick Paulate which plays as a gay, and an international film
Mulan (1998) which is about a girl who was forced to join the military. Both these
elements are adapted into the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin which is about a gay
who unwillingly join the military for the sake of his father. Benjamin (or Benjie, the lead
character), broke the idea that gays are incapable of joining the military. Also, the film
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presented to the viewers that gays are not just accepted by the society as plain performers,
make-up artists, or comedian, they are now given fuller acceptance for doing noble jobs –
heroism. The film also illustrated the wide usage of gay lingo (gay language) by the
society not just on casual conversations, even on military environment and on public
speaking. The second sequel of the film The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin (2011)
depicts the abuse for power and fame by the main character Benjie. As the society
accepted and praised him for saving people, he became so proud of himself and ironically
lost his job because of it. The injection of various characters and elements from
teleseryes, films, and advertisements such as: Please Be Careful with My Heart (acting as
Maya, and the theme song), Feng Shui (the association of “bagwa” to Bimbi, the son of
Kris Aquino who was the lead character of the said film), lines from the film Madrasta
(1996) and Lucky Me Beef advertisement (both done by Sharon Cuneta), acting as Miss
Minchin, Sarah, and Loti from the film Sarah Ang Munting Prinsesa, the use of the
advertisement of ABS-CBN mobile, the use of briefcases from the show Deal or No Deal,
and the chant from the program Its Showtime. The film also adopted the setting of an
international film Warm Bodies, starting with the zombies in the airport, which has been
The second sequel of Praybeyt Benjamin revolved on the quest of Benjie, finding
the bombs implanted by the terrorists, and regaining his reputation. The character of
“Gundina” became controversial for suggesting a simpler solution to the bomb threats but
“Benjie” refused to act her suggestion because if he will do it, there will be no more film
to act. Given these detailed observations, the researchers have found several
Pastiche, Intertextuality, Irony, Black Humor, Maximalism, and Magic Realism. The
researchers also acknowledged the central ideas of postmodernism which the film has
manifested which are: Language as Reality, the Questioning of Universal Truths, and
Power Struggles. The researchers, thus, proved that the film The Amazing Praybeyt
This study would analyze the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin using the
1. Describe the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin by applying the central ideas
of postmodernism.
2.1 Pastiche;
2.2 Intertextuality;
2.3 Irony;
2.5 Faction;
Theory.
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The analysis of this present study will be a beneficial contribution to the society’s
results of this investigation will be highly significant and useful to the following:
Teachers. This study would offer them a useful reference that can serve as a
model to the idea of Postmodern Literary Theory. Since this study is centered on the
analysis of a specific film entitled The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin where the
characteristics and central ideas of Postmodern Literary Theory will be used as the
foundations in the analysis, the results can offer useful examples of the application of
Postmodern Literary Theory which teachers could use as references to their instruction of
literature.
Students. This study would provide them an instance of how Postmodern Literary
Theory will be used to criticize a specific film that would serve as their guide on making
Researchers. This study would supply them a better understanding and reference
to the knowledge about postmodern literatures specifically on the central ideas and
characteristics of the theory that would be identified and applied in the analysis of the
film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin in which other researchers could use as a model for
Film Critics and Viewers. This study would offer the audiences a different view
of the comedy film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, exposing the postmodern features
that the film contains which they could use as a supporting reference for their analyses
and can be shared especially if the viewers are parents who would evaluate the film or
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other films that show similar characteristics, and evaluate if the subject film is beneficial
to their children.
The whole film centered on the analysis of the film The Amazing Praybeyt
Benjamin using the Postmodern Literary Theory. The film is based from the local film
Bala at Lipstik, and an international film Mulan, in which a gay (in character of
This study was an in-depth analysis of the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin
using the Postmodern Literary Theory and was delimited on the characteristics of
Maximalism, and Magic Realism; and the central ideas which include Language as
Reality, the Questioning of Universal Truths, and Power Struggle. The description of the
idea of language as reality was particular to the notable characters in the film as well as
their dialogues in the English language, their gestures, and object use. Although there are
Filipino, French, and Spanish terms and phrases within the dialogues, the main subject of
These ideas were enumerated based from their manifestations in the film The
Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, enough to determine the implications of the analysis on the
use of Postmodernism as a literary theory in the said film. Though the film is a sequel of
The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin which is based from the intertext of the 1994
film, Bala at Lipstik and Disney animated film, Mulan, the study did not intent to make a
The general sources that made this study possible include the essays on Literary
Criticism compiled by Tim Gillespie where the central ideas of postmodern literature are
being discussed, the book of Arambulo et al., Literature and Society, where the
from different books, dictionaries, journals, and other sources and are supported by
Definition of Terms
For better understanding of the study, the following terms are conceptually and
operationally defined:
apart and discussing its various elements (Hall, 2000). In this study, it refers to the
elements with comical ones that underscore the senselessness or futility of life
(Britannica.com). In this study, it refers to the technique which describes the style of the
plot.
Faction. It refers to a literary and cinematic genre in which real events are used as
refers to the presence of real events in the film (e.g. the presence of terrorists who planted
bombs).
the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin which is the subject of the study.
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works in the subject film which includes: the theme song and the character of “Maya”
from the teleserye, Please Be Careful with my Heart, the inclusion of “bagwa” taken
from the film Feng Shui, advertisements from Lucky Me Spicy beef and ABS-CBN
mobile, the chant from It’s Showtime, the “briefcases” from Deal or No Deal, the
injection of the characters of Miss Minchin, Sarah which are from the film, Sarah ang
Munting Prinsesa.
suggested without being said directly (Meriam-Webster). In this study, it refers to the
results of the current study to the learning of literary theories, especially Postmodernism.
this study, it refers to the phenomena in which a character blamed the size of the door but
his size was the primary problem, Dickens asking for help and suddenly transformed into
Language as Reality. This refers to the notions that there are limitations in our
attempt to label and describe existence, that language isn’t just a vehicle of thought but
the driver, that words may produce our perceptions as well as our perceptions producing
our words, and that the medium is the message- all our experience is mediated by
language (Gillespie, 2010). In this study, it refers to the language use of the characters,
their gestures and use of objects which reflects theirs personalities and perspectives.
9
Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic
elements in the film such as the idea of the game Plants vs. Zombies and the weapons
tradition of long works like The Odyssey (Books.google.com). In this study, it refers to
the illogical length of the film which can be done in a short period of time, the
unconnected emotions evoked by the characters, as well as their choices of words which
elements of previous film Warm Bodies, the game Plants VS. Zombies, and the teleserye
endemic, all absolute values – such as the traditional values of God, Truth, Reason, and
affirmation (Hicks, 2004). In this study, it refers to the description to the subject film The
Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin which credits the film for an in-depth analysis.
sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic
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power. (Gillespie, 2010). In this study, it refers to the literary theory which will be used
Power Struggle. It refers to the search for our own position in a society, seeking
social validation for our views and behaviors. All our notions of what is “proper,”
“universal,” “natural,” or “true” are really interpretations that we are seeking to convince
ourselves and others are absolute—all to earn or maintain our power, position, and
privilege (Gillespie, 2010) In this study, it refers to the arguments and fights between the
characters of Benjie, General Chua, Bimbi, Gundina, and Jan Jaranjan, as well as the
actually attempts to define the situation in ways that are to our benefit (Gillespie, 2010).
In this study, it refers to the social norms or perceptions particular to Philippine context
Chapter 2
This chapter presents the related literature and studies of both foreign and local.
These works were used by the researchers as bases for the analysis.
Related Literature
Literature, being the conglomeration of the changing voices of the people and a
generalized and such makes systems of periodization and approaches more or less
arbitrary. Named periods and varying approaches become an essential tool because they
offer a framework in making us understand and appreciate the literary output of the
Filipinos through the centuries. Philippine Literature, together with History, would not be
nothing more than scattered events with periodization though sometimes overlapping
appreciate the literary outputs of Filipinos, similarly, the researchers of the present study
will be analyzing a Filipino film using the theory Postmodernism (which has started as a
description of a time period). However, the current study focused on the description of
the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014) applying the central ideas given and
Magic Realism.
elements such as authentic material, language in use and aesthetic representation of the
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spoken language, as well as language and cultural enrichment. It is with this last element
that literature opens the door that leads to a wider and closer look on the culture (or
cultures) where the target language is spoken. Culture, being an interdisciplinary core,
offers several perspectives that ELT can also approach such as artistic discourses, social
conventions, and reflexive impacts. It also places the object of study as a tree with many
different branches that could appeal more to undergraduate students, who already have
fixed interests, according to their respective fields of study. Still, the application of
literature and culture in a language classroom must not be random, since the teaching of
both disciplines is not akin to the bare transmission of information regarding the people
culture to English language teaching. The present study analyzed only one idea of
study will tackle three (3) ideas of postmodernism which are (1) Language as Reality, (2)
Questioning of Universal Truths, and (3) Power Struggle, and will not focus on Language
alone.
Postmodern literary theory rejects the notion that literary texts have objective
meanings and true interpretations. All such claims to objectivity and truth can be
subjective play in which the reader pours subjective associations into the text. In another
version, objectivity is replaced by the view than an author’s race, sex, or other group
membership most deeply shapes the author’s views and feelings. The task of the literary
critic, accordingly, is to deconstruct the text to reveal the author’s race, sex, or class
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interests. Authors and characters that least embody the correct attitudes are naturally
Hicks (2004), pointed out the connection of two (2) literary theories which are:
focused on Postmodern Literary Theory in which the characteristics and ideas of the
Phillips (2012), also discussed the American social scientists replaced universal
metanarratives with small local or individual narratives. All the big stories are broken up
into billions of little stories with no relation to each other. This emphasized the
multiplicity of valid theoretical standpoints and the relativity of our beliefs. Jean-Francois
have moved “from the muffled majesty of grand narratives to the splintering autonomy of
micronarratives.” To put all of this more crudely: what is true for you need not be true for
me. Living under the canopy of the postmodern metanarrative that there are no
relate our lives to any larger meaning or outside purpose. David Wells grasped this mood
in his book Losing Our Virtue, when he wrote, “It means that people have nowhere to
stand cognitively in the world, no way to get their bearings, that life’s experiences fall
like pieces of confetti with no relationship to each other. Life is made up of a multitude of
Phillips (2012), supported the study of Mercado and Macalinao (2015), on one
researchers of the current study utilized the study of Mercado and Macalinao (2015), as a
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guide on their analyses, however, the researchers of the current study did not include the
characteristic given by Mercado and Macalinao (2015), but tackled seven (7)
characteristics of Postmodernism, and a local subject film rather than a foreign film.
postmodernists remind us that the notion of originality is absent in most tradition of art,
in the West and throughout the world. Throughout time, most cultures felt no need to
pastiche and intertextuality. KHowever, the researchers focused on the characteristics and
suspension of the law of non-contradiction is endemic, all absolute values – such as the
traditional values of God, Truth, Reason, and the Law and so on – become sites of
does not simply reject the possibility of making decisions. Rather, it gives new attention
Mudasir (2011) then explained that “Language is shown to be a medium that can
manipulate and hide the truth as much as it can express and reveal it. Moreover,
such is shown not to be merely reflective, but constitutive of what is termed as reality.
The linguistic codes, thoroughly social in their character, cannot be used merely as tools
for expression. They are, instead, inflected with prior meanings and traces from usages in
different contexts, and thus shape the subject’s perception of itself and reality.”
Mudasir (2011), explained that Language is the medium to reveal and hide the
truth. Also, the researchers of the current study used Language as a tool to reveal,
however, the researchers focused on using Language to expose the reality of a situation
the perspective of Dillard and McHale. According to them, postmodern novel shares the
following characteristics: (1) the narration of events does not follow a linear or
them occurring simultaneously; (2) the idea that one event causes other events does not
operate; (3) common sense and logic are not important ways of seeing the world. The
postmodern novel’s fictional world follows a different kind of logic; (4) the postmodern
novel uses shifting points of view. There may be several narrators, and first, second, and
third person points of view; (5) the postmodern novel involves rapid changes in time, and
In other words, time and space and other aspects of setting are not necessarily fixed; (6)
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unlike “traditional” novels where strange settings are made familiar, postmodern novels
tend to play up the multiple and alien aspects of an unfamiliar setting, or make the
familiar strange; (7) whether in minor or major roles, characters who appeared in other
text and/or individuals who actually existed in the real world appear in the fictional world
of the postmodern novel; (8) the real world and fictional world meet and overlap; (9) in
the postmodern novel, clashing worldviews of people who belong to different classes, or
who espouse different religions, or are of different races, etc. meet and mix; (10) the
genre’s way of thinking critically about itself; (11) the postmodern novel uses pastiche,
which is the employment of different styles, genres, etc., in one text; (12) the postmodern
novel uses a variety of styles and registers, including letters, essays, poetry, etc. to
comprise the narrative, rather than just relying solely on description, narration, and
dialogue.
alone. Correspondingly, the researchers of the current study described a local film using a
postmodern lens.
trivia. So postmodernism refuses to take anything too seriously. Its mode is play, its
attitude ironic. Each works declares: greatness is a delusion, great art a pretense…
Modernism was haunted by a struggle with disenchanted and a search for new bearings.
Pomo said, it’s impossible and doesn’t matter anyway.” Or, the idea that absolute truths
are definable belongs to the realist tradition, whereas modernism explores subjective
perceive some of those hard-to-bring-ideas that inform much postmodern thinking, most
notably analyses of three problems: (1) the importance and simultaneous squishiness of
language, (2) the force lure of grand narratives, and (3) the role of power in human
The aforementioned ideas presented by Gillespie (2010), discusses the three (3)
problems which the postmodernism presents. The present study determined these ideas
based on their manifestations on the subject film. However, the researchers of the current
study included seven (7) characteristics of Postmodernism to deepen the analysis of the
study.
Marasigan (2014), then, narrated the plot of the story in which "Benjie" Santos
(Vice Ganda) has been promoted to colonel in the Philippine army and has made a name
for himself as a modern day national hero. But when Benjie starts taking his reputation
and his duties for granted, he is forced under the service of General Wilson Chua
(Richard Yap) to try and thwart a terrorist plot to bomb areas around the Philippines. It
just so happens that the only person who knows where the bombs are is a young boy
named Bimbi (Bimbi Aquino). Praybeyt Benjamin 2 makes no apologies for what it is – a
brainless, hyper stylized and utterly ridiculous family comedy. It is a film designed to do
nothing more than delight casual moviegoers, and what it sets out to do, it does so with
The subject film of the current study is The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin which is
the second sequel of The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin (2011). Marasigan (2014),
narrated the plot and characters of the film which is used as a reference to the current
postmodern analysis of the second sequel, The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin and not a
According to Calayan (2012) in the “Analysis of the Genre” Filipino Films often
(1998), wherein the lead character was forced to join the army taking over her father’s
place. The subject film is mainly comedic; however there were few fight scenes and
Martin et al. (2008), discuss that Bala at Lipstik is a “transition” film in that it
contains that transgressive politics of the earlier films yet is also a counterpoint to the
politicized gay movies that came after it. The absence of masculine-identified
homosexuals in the film is a key point, as other art forms of gay plays written in the last
thirty years. Gerardo Z. Torres shows that playwrights writing during 1971–1989 created
more masculine gay characters than femmes and that the representation in these texts was
already moving away from stereotypical effeminate bakla. It is doubly ironic that the film
was produced in 1994 – when gay activism was already beginning to escalate and, as
Nick Deocampo claims, a new oppositional consciousness had merged among Filipino
filmmakers during the Marcos years – and that the film was written by Jose Javier Reyes,
The researchers of the current study acknowledged the film Bala at Lipstik
(1994), as a basis of the subject film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin. However, the
present study did not conduct a comparative analysis of the two films. The current study
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focused on the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, determining the characteristics and
Related Studies
Foreign
Mikulaková (2011), his study connects postmodernism and literary works of a twentieth
century British writer Anthony Burgess. It deals with terms postmodernity and
postmodernism as such and tries to define their essence and aspects considering
Burgess’ novels “A Clockwork,” “Orange” and “The Wanting Seed” (1985) from the
perspective of fictional semantics and defines fictional worlds of these novels. Fictional
semantics has been chosen as the basis of interpretation, because it correlates with genres
and distinctions of postmodern literature. Finally, the study deals with basic themes of
these three novels, individualism and its weak position within current society and a cyclic
novels.
Anthony Burgess’ Novels. Similarly, the researchers of the current study used the theory
that saga fantasy genre is indeed a postmodern phenomenon, borrowing from the
elements that construct the structure of narrative, imagery and the stylistic features. The
20
most important ingredients in support of this argument are the notions of Time, Subject
and the understanding of Historicism. These elements become the founding blocks of the
genre and the sub-genre specifically when analyzed through the various ways of looking
into these texts. It became clear that Saga Fantasy films had various different elements
that make them unique both within the genre and among the outer genres. The features
that finds ground in this type of films, stands out as having tendencies towards a different
world, namely a fantastical world, where the key element becomes the existence of
supernatural phenomena along with magic. By looking at this point, it became evident
that this very struggle was because of a confusion to define the genre. When defined in
terms of its own existence amongst the plain of other genre’s and films, it finds solid
Değim (2011) made use of postmodernism to create a new literary genre called
“Saga Fantasy” by using Time, Subject and the understanding of Historicism to support
their claim. However, the researchers of the current study used postmodernism as a lens
to analyze a film by identifying the manifestations of the characteristics and central ideas
claims that a significant component of critical postmodern social work theory and
discourse, and then seeking liberation at these levels. Yet, it fails to consider the spiritual
knowledge would allow critical postmodern social work theorists to consider spiritual
of knowing in critical postmodern approaches to social work theory would allow them to
be more expansive and holistic. It would allow spiritual understandings and experiences
can be resisted at spiritual levels. For critical postmodern social work theorists this means
and emancipation. This link between social oppression, emancipation and spirituality also
highlights a pivotal concept that spiritual liberation is linked to material and social
The said researcher used the idea of postmodernism not as a literary theory, but a
consideration of social oppression and emancipation for critical postmodern social work
theorists. The researchers of the current study used the idea of postmodernism to analyze
Issues of Sovereignty, she concluded that native narratives are also more likely to borrow
not from postmodern powers of shape-shifting but the powers of play represented in the
deconstructs metanarrative (i.e. the grand narrative dictated by the Western civilization,
that is the colonizer) and lets the margins into the center. At the same time postmodern
theory has similar limitations to those of post colonialism. The prefix “post” might
simply not be there yet for Native American literature. As Womack argues,
postmodernism deconstructs history and identity, and Native American history, both of
22
post colonialism. The researchers of the current study focused on the idea of
postmodernism in the film The Amazing Praybet Benjamin and did not use the theory of
the Postmodern in the Translated Novel”, the novels of Haruki Murakami have created a
in our media-saturated, multi-layered world. Using his work, we have a fresh approach to
postmodernism that is compatible with both Eastern and Western first world experiences.
Using theory to interrogate his writing in turn will help us re-conceptualize this very
theory to take account for an east/west experience. His work emulates a postmodern
condition that has resonances with Lyotard, Jameson and Harvey. The mood of his novels
of disconnection from work and the novels embody an atmosphere that is distinctly
Flynn (2013), examined the translated novels in a postmodern lens. However, the
researchers of the current study used a local film as the subject of study rather than
Japanese novels.
Umberto Eco” conducted by Premier (2013), Eco views the whole corpus of Fellini’s
23
films in much the same way this dissertation views the compendium of Eco’s works.
Since both his fiction and non-fictional writing is constantly remembering or looking
back to past texts and experiences, Eco’s works at once fulfill a definition of self-
reflexive intertextuality and, through his writing process, provide an art of memory. Eco
connects memory with the process of writing. His memories, a combination of personal,
cultural, as well as reading experiences, provide the material for his novels and, as a
memory and not between texts. The researchers of the current study used Intertextuality
of previous films within the current subject film. Also, the current researchers used
film.
In the “Humor of Advertising” by Olson (2005) and Larrson (2005), one general
happiness and makes people laugh. Humor is good for both mind and soul. There are
great benefits with using humor in television advertising. The primary benefit is the
that entertains, than just a boring advertisement. When humor succeeds in capturing
attention, people will remember it for a long period of time. Of all different ways a
television advertisement can be composed, humor is the most superior way of capturing
attention.
researchers of the current study used a comedy film as the subject of the study. However,
24
the researchers analyzed the film using Postmodern Literary Theory, rather than
Reclaiming the Past as Modern ‘Parody’ and Postmodern ‘Pastiche’ in The Hours and
Marie Antoinette”, pastiche more effectively engages with the postmodern condition of
present. Therefore, because parody clings to an archaic notion of the individual and its
its emergence out of contemporary postmodernism as well as its engagement with our
of the current study tackled seven (7) characteristics of postmodernism and did not focus
Local
In the work of Alamo, et al. (2010), they focused on film review and analysis of
Quentin Tarantino’s film, Pulp Fiction using postmodernism theory. They described the
film in terms of its style of directing, characterizations, settings, plot, theme, symbols,
conflict, and language. In their study, they also identified the manifestations in where
postmodernism was applied in the film such as: all religions are valid, characters living
with doubts and uncertainties, individuals have no “independent identity”, characters are
extensive use of pastiche, morality is personal, traditional authority is false and corrupt,
The said researchers used postmodernism to make a review and analysis of a film.
Similarly, the researchers of the current study made use of a film as the subject of study
of the film Maleficent, which was adopted from classic fairytale sleeping beauty
and its plot. The features of postmodernism seen in the film Maleficent are death of the
Similarly, the study of Mercado and Macalinao (2015), made use of the theory
postmodernism and a foreign film as the subject of study, limited to three (3)
local film as the subject of study and presented seven (7) characteristics and three (3)
According to the study “Visual Literacy and Popular Culture in the Philippine
postmodernism. This fragmentation of the hero’s self completely goes against the grain
of the hero/superhero grand narrative wherein the internal conflict is only between the
protagonist’s personal identity and that of his alter-ego, and the ultimate goal is the
triumph of good vs. evil -- a utopian ending. ZsaZsa’s hero journey involves a search for
26
identity. He finds through his superhero self a way in which to perform his gender. The
conflicts in ZsaZsa, both internal and external, are not clear cut black and white, good vs.
evil, since what each side represents is not stable and absolute. For instance, the zombies
who attacked the neighborhood may represent such things as death, vestiges of the
colonial past, or a morally corrupt society. However, one zombie turns out to be the
corpse of Ada’s father, who verbally torments ZsaZsa by proclaiming his disgust and
now shifts from an apparent “forces of good vs. forces of evil battle” to a past but
unresolved antagonism between Ada’s asserted identity and his father’s oppressive
attempts to stifle it. Meaning and representation in ZsaZsa’s carnivalesque world are not
The aforementioned study also made use of a local film. It acknowledged the
and narrated the manifestations supporting the researchers’ claim. However, the subject
film of the current researchers presented the main character as a modern-day hero. The
current researchers analyzed all manifestations of postmodernism in the film, not limited
Conceptual Framework
This study analyzed the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin through the use of
the theory postmodernism. The work is based from the 1994 film Bala at Lipstik starring
Roderick Paulate, and a foreign film Mulan, which depicts the story of a gay who joined
the military to comply and replace his sick father, (in the first sequel), and then later on
gained the acceptance and respect of the public, but transformed into a boastful and
27
disrespectful colonel, resulting to the loss of what he gained throughout his journey
(second sequel).
The literary work was examined using the list of postmodernism characteristics
gathered and compiled from dictionaries, journals, and the book of Arambulo, et al. titled
Black Humor, Faction, Maximalism, and Magic Realism; also, using the central ideas of
Questioning Universal Truths, and (3) Power Struggle among different characters.
writing technique that juxtaposes morbid or ghastly elements with comical ones that
underscore the senselessness or futility of life. (2) Faction which refers to a literary and
cinematic genre in which real events are used as a basis for fictional narrative or
dramatization; (3) Intertextuality which refers to the literal and effective presence in a
text of another text; (4) Irony which refers to a situation in which something which was
intended to have a particular result has the opposite or a very different result; (5) Magic
realism which refers to a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America
that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction; (6)
disconnected. It exists in the tradition of long works like The Odyssey; Tim Gillespie
(2010), also explained the three (3) main ideas of postmodernism including: (1)
Language as Reality which refers to the notions that there are limitations in our attempt to
28
label and describe existence, that language isn’t just a vehicle of thought but the driver,
that words may produce our perceptions as well as our perceptions producing our words,
and that the medium is the message- all our experience is mediated by language; (2)
Questioning Universal Truth means that our explanations of truth are actually attempts to
define the situation in ways that are to our benefit; (3) Power Struggle the act of seeking
our own position in a society, seeking social validation for our views and behaviors. All
our notions of what is “proper,” “universal,” “natural,” or “true” are really interpretations
that we are seeking to convince ourselves and others are absolute—all to earn or maintain
The paradigm below shows the connection of Postmodern Literary Theory to the
interpretation. The analysis sought to describe the film by applying the central ideas as
well as to determine the characteristics listed below to reveal the implications of the
Faction
Magic Realism
Chapter 3
This chapter discusses the research methodology, specifically the research design,
the sources of data and the data gathering procedures and the analysis of the data.
Research Design
the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014) by applying the central ideas of
literary theory that are manifested in the film namely: Pastiche, Intertextuality, Irony,
Black Humor, Faction, Maximalism, and Magic Realism; and through this study, the
implications of the analysis on the use of postmodernism as a literary theory in the said
film was also determined. The researchers employed the use of qualitative approach in
Source of Data
The film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin was used as the main source of data for
this study. It is a 2014 film written and directed by Wenn V. Deramas. The film is a
sequel from the film The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin (2011). Jose Marie Viceral,
also known as Vice Ganda is the lead character of the film known for his role as Colonel
Benjamin “Benjie” Santos. Some famous local celebrities were also introduced in the
film such as Richard Yap as General Chua, Tom Rodriguez as Jan Jaranjan, James Carlos
“Bimbi” Aquino Yap as Bimbi, Alex Gonzaga as Gundina and special participation of
31
Eddie Garcia as General Benjamin “Ben” Santos VI and Kristina Bernadette “Kris”
Cojuanco Aquino as Krissy. The researchers made use of published and unpublished
work of literature in reviewing the film using postmodern literary theory. Also, the
Irony, Black Humor, Faction, Maximalism, and Magic Realism. The study was guided by
Tim Gillespie’s book “An introduction to Literary Criticism for Students” wherein the
central ideas of postmodern literary theory is being discussed. Other sources such as from
online and books like Arambulo, et al. titled Literature and Society were also utilized for
The objectives of this study were attained through critical and detailed views of
the subject film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin by listing the scenes which show the
characteristics and ideas of Postmodernism which the researchers observed. The analysis
was guided by utilizing online books, articles, and analyses made by critics, authors, and
bloggers describing and analyzing different subjects (i.e. films, novels, articles) using
In analyzing the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, the researchers made use
of a list of characteristics compiled from different books, dictionaries, journals, and other
online sources ascribed to the theory of postmodernism. Among these characteristics are
Pastiche, Intertextuality, Irony, Black Humor, Faction, Maximalism, and Magic Realism.
Through these characteristics, the researchers were able to detect and identify the specific
features in the plot, characterization and symbolism shown in the film. Also, the
researchers utilized a teacher’s guide handbook written by Tim Gillespie (2010), and a
32
book by Arambulo, et al. titled Literature and Society as a basis for identifying the
Chapter 4
This chapter presents, analyzes and gathers data based from the objectives listed
in Chapter 1.
This chapter presents a comprehensive analysis of the film The Amazing Praybeyt
Benjamin using the ideas and characteristics of Postmodern Literary Theory. The
researchers analyzed and interpreted the data gathered through intensive viewing of the
subject film.
Although the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin used Filipino language as its
medium of communication, the researchers focused on the usage of the English language
on the dialogues of the notable characters, their gestures, and their object use and how
these reflect their personalities and attitude towards other characters and towards life.
The film started with the lead character (Benjie) with his troop getting down from
their private plane. The plane was pink in color which has no specific connection with the
Color is an element of visual language that people process before they are
consciously aware of it. It ‘pops out’ at viewers in the early stages of vision. Color is a
known that their plane was customized. The usual colors of military planes are dark,
34
usually grey or blue-grey. The dark color is to minimize visual signature of the aircraft.
Aircraft operating over sea can be camouflaged by painting them blue-grey. This scheme
was first adopted by Britain during the Battle of Britain, where undersides of day fighters
and bombers were painted a grey-sky color to reduce chances of detection by AAA
(Sludge and Slime scheme), (Nasery, 2014). The plane which brought Benjie and his
troop to France was colored pink. The color pink is associated with girls (femininity).
According to Paoletti (2012) on her book Pink and Blue, there was no gender-color
symbolism that held true everywhere. But during the 20 th century, the norm of pin-for-a-
girl, and blue-for-a-boy was set as a social norm. Given the time period in which the
subject film was created, color pink has already been associated by the society to
femininity. As to the nature of the job of the military, having such color will only expose
them to the public which also connotes the exposure of homosexuality to the society.
As Benjie landed his feet on the ground and saw the surroundings, he uttered
"...So, this is France..." As he walked to meet the military men of France, he greeted
them, “Bonjour!” a French term for "Good day." His troop then questioned him, "Anong
bonjour?” (What is bonjour?) Then, a sound of a car crash came into effect and Benjie
The term bonjour was used in the subject film as a substitute for the Filipino term
bunggo. The sound of car crashing exemplified that Benjie was actually referring to a boy
hit by a car. The main character in the subject film is a gay; and as a gay, the use of gay
lingo is inevitable.
35
(Spanish) rather than the language used by the colonel (French). Benjie replied “La
importancia que mujer la porgiomental la mores la paz batchoy la para mirar la bamba y
The phrases are in Spanish but the inclusion of Batchoy to the phrase La Paz
made it Filipino. The term la importancia is actually a Spanish phrase for the
importance; que mujer stands for that woman; la mores – the more; La Paz means (the)
peace, but with the word Batchoy, it became a Filipino cuisine originated from La Paz,
Ilo-ilo; La Para Mirar means to watch the. However, the phrases la bamba, y la
pomegracia and y la mercia do not have direct equivalent to the language although some
words on the phrases have Spanish equivalents such as the words y which stands for and
Some terms and phrases used by the lead character are expressed in the gay lingo
(gay language). From its origin, the use of gay language of gays is unavoidable. Baytan
(2002), offers that it is “possible that the gays are turning the source of their oppression –
their desires – into the very source of their self-affirmation.” The very term bakla is
pejorative in itself used by homophobes in insulting homosexuals in the country, and not
a few gays have winced at the word when it was first spat at them. Baytan underlines that
the utterance of the word alone brings to mind “a series of images related to oppression,
trivialization, and marginalization.” Hence, the invention of words that sound less painful
Badinger Z – all in an effort to neutralize the original word (Alba, 2006).
36
The use of bonjour (good day) to replace the word bunggo (crash) is a way of
Benjie to make the meaning subtler. The scene brought out tension to them for they are
into another mission that needs to be solved. In a way, Benjie lightened his own burden
answer for the question of Dickens in French. Since Benjie did not understand what the
Colonel has said, he tried to look for an alternative. It is also a way of Benjie to make
things easier. As he answered Dickens in Spanish, Dickens replied in English for he was
the one who could not understand what Benjie has said.
After Colonel Dickens told Benjie that he could speak in English, Benjie hugged
Dickens and said, “Welcome, welcome to my life.” As a homosexual, Benjie could have
a tendency to direct sexual desire towards another of the same sex (Merriam-Webster
dictionary). Given the physical attributes of Colonel Dickens, gays and girls could
actually be enticed by his looks. Thus, Benjie has been attracted to Dickens.
When Benjie asked Colonel Dickens for an update about the virus spreading in
Europe, Dickens told him that it is getting worse. As soon as Dickens stated that some
people were trying to spread the virus, Benjie bit his index finger, with a very surprised
look on his face. Dickens, then, added that the people who were trying to spread it are
high-ranking officials. Benjie put his palm on the upper part of his left cheek, almost on
his temple, this time looking shocked. The gestures of Benjie as in biting his index finger
and tapping his head with his hand were signs that he was very affected with the
This just shows how powerful gestures are in expressing the thoughts of people.
On the first sequel of the film which is The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin, Benjie was
disgraced by his grandfather when he danced with a hand fan while wearing clothes
specific for women. Given that Benjie is a dancer, he is particular with body movements
and that includes gestures. Gays are expressive and they tend to exaggerate things on
their own ways of communication. Urban Dictionary described gay men as “more
throughout the entire face. Gay face includes an eye expression that is both surprised-
looking and predatory.” The facial expression and hand gestures of Benjie mirrors his
personality as a gay and as a dancer. He uses body language as much as he uses the oral
language.
• “Congratulations to myself”
The success of Benjie and his troop led them to be published on Thime magazine
(their version of Time Magazine) and a glamorous welcome party from their families and
neighborhood. One by one, the troop members searched for their families and greeted
them with hugs. As Benjie got his turn to step from their transport vehicle, he was asked
myself!”
This scene has displayed how Benjie reacted to fame and success. He became so
high that he did not care to look down for the people who look up to him. Going back to
the first sequel, Benjie strived hard to earn the trust not only of the military men but also
of the people of the country. As a gay, Benjie was not expected to join such troop which
requires tough and strong men. Moreover, as a homosexual, the traits which Benjie
38
possesses are that of a woman. As he achieved his goal to be accepted by the society, he
started to feel on the top. And in turn, he felt so high that he thought he was already the
best among others. He did not recognized the works of others, not even the effort exerted
by his father to invent the seeds he used to defeat the zombies. He thought that whatever
After sarcastically answering a reporter, Benjie hugged the members of his family
one by one. He hugged his younger sister and said, “Miss na miss ko kayo.” Then he
hugged his grandmother but when his father (with a new look, a new actor to act the
character), approached him with a hug, he denied the arms which are so ready to
embrace. His mother then asked him why he did that, he answered, “Pamilya muna diba?
Family first.” His mother corrected how he acted and told him that the person he refused
to embrace was actually his father. His mother asked the father of Benjie to explain
everything and he told everyone that he has invented something to change his physical
appearance.
The scene illustrates how Benjie dealt with others who are not related to him.
Despite of the age and gender, he disregarded others whom he does not know and are not
connected with his family. Benjie, as the main character, started as an underdog. Other
people did not accept him like how his family did. The first people who accepted him
with or without his achievements were the members of his family. As he make a name of
his own, he isolated himself from the public and concentrated on his family and career.
However, as the story went by, Benjie concentrated more on his career than his own
family.
39
After General Chua took Benjie from the Birdie-Birdie bar, the president gave
Benjie the certificate, medal and sash of appreciation for the pride he has contributed to
the Philippines. As Benjie receives the tokens, he delivered a short speech for everyone
and told them that what he has achieved was just proper for what he has done for the
country. He, then, asked why some people are in the event whereas he do not even know
them. He concluded that those people who attended the awarding want to have a photo
with him, so he just let them stay for a while to have the picture-taking after the closing
remarks of the president. He, then, asked the president, “Mister President, any last
The president serves as the most powerful person among the people in a country.
It is proper to show respect to him not just through words but also through actions. The
film mirrors how people disgrace their leader through all forms. Being the president of
the Philippines, the president functions as the whole representation of a country. As to the
experience of Benjie from his own countrymen who misjudged and belittled him, the
representation of the Philippines and the Filipinos in the form of the president, has been
the target of revenge of the lead character. Revenge, not in the literal form wherein
Benjie will let those people who made his life hard or suffer; Revenge in an implicit way,
where his attitude towards the president has become his automatic response towards
The president told Benjie that he is an amazing soldier and those have been the
last words of the president. Benjie arrogantly replied that he already knew that he is
How Benjie replied to the president revealed how ungrateful he is. He was not
able to appreciate the acknowledgement given to him by the leader of the country. He
never humbled himself, instead he raised himself higher than he was supposed to be.
What Benjie thought was that what was given to him was just proper for his effort
Benjie answered his grandfather as he confronted him for being late for the
awarding. Benjie let the people who wanted to take a picture of him and did not let his
family accompany him for the picture-taking. He posed alone in the middle of the stage
to different cameras which surrounded them while his family stared at him in dismay.
Going back to the first sequel, the first goal which Benjie wanted to achieve was
for his grandfather to accept him. He even joined the military just to save the life of his
grandfather. However, as fate stayed at his side, everything that he surpassed just to get
where he is now, he disregarded them all. Benjie as a person tends to forget things in a
short period of time. As to what he has been through, it has been a good thing for him to
disregard the bad memories. Yet, it seems that the goal he has set in the first place has
After the encounter of the troop of General Chua and Benjie with the terrorist
organization of Jan Jaranjan, the grandfather of Benjie died for saving the life of his
grandson. The failure of the mission took its toll on Benjie. He was under disciplinary
action and will be under the supervision of General Chua for the time period until he
renders service to his commanding officer. Benjie received the consequence bitterly and
For a person who had reached the top, Benjie fell down as he was assigned under
General Chua. As a person who strived hard to get himself where he was, Benjie
displayed how disappointed he was after his dismissal. His response to his superior with
“Sir, yes sir” indicates how he wanted to follow the high-ranking official but, with the
rolling of his eyes, he has shown rebellion which he kept. Benjie does not want to go
• “Bimbi-yah, Bimbi-yah”
Benjie started his mission to guard the son of Chua. However, he also tried to
encourage the child to tell him where the locations of the bombs are. His first try was to
act as a Korean. In Korea, in addressing someone of equal or lesser social status, one can
attach -ah to a name that ends in a consonant and -yah to a name that ends in a vowel
“Big boy.” Bimbi in return talked in Chinese wherein Benjie and “Big boy” were
shocked because they did not understood what the boy has said. Bimbi added in Chinese
Way ’a Tzu wherein Benjie interpreted it as Bimbi wants Big Boy to leave because of the
sound of Tzu similar to shooo – a term used when repeatedly moving your hand away
42
from you in a short motion with your fingers down to tell an animal or person to leave
(Merriam-Webster). Big Boy took his turn to interpret what Bimbi has said, he associated
Tzu into an English word chew. Benjie questioned the interpretation given by Big Boy
and associated Tzu to a person, an actress specifically which is Kim Chiu. Chiu is known
to have a skinny body type and Benjie told Big Boy that Kim Chiu does not eat.
Benjie knows how to connect to other people using different type of languages.
Although Benjie does not display a perfect mastery of the languages he used, he has done
various ways on how to use different languages to build rapport with Bimbi. This just
shows how determined Benjie is on getting the information from Bimbi to regain his
reputation.
On the second try, Benjie entered into the room of Bimbi. He talked to Bimbi in a
husky voice which the boy has questioned, “Why is your voice like that?” Benjie
answered “…because I’m Chucky…” Bimbi became frightened and Benjie cleared his
Notice the use of Chucky and Chuckie interchangeably. Chucky is a film wherein
the lead character is a possessed doll that kills people. Chuckie, on the other hand, is a
brand of chocolate drinks wherein the consumers are mostly children. The shift from
Chucky to Chuckie illustrates the shift of approach of Benjie on how he could have the
information he wants from Bimbi. Chucky, depicts how desperate Benjie is on getting the
information. Chucky the doll is always desperate to kill. But, Bimbi is still a child and
Benjie has considered his age. Chuckie was also a way to build an amiable environment
with Bimbi.
43
As Bimbi brought out his sentiments about his dad, Benjie encouraged the boy not
to plant any grudge unto his father. He also reminded the boy how his knowledge could
save the whole country and how he could help his father defeat the terrorists. Benjie
explained to Bimbi how parents show their love to their children in many forms and that
he should not think that his father does not love him. Benjie said, “Your father loves you
the only way he knows how.” Bimbi did not believe what Benjie has said about his
father. He made Benjie promise not to tell his dad about the location of the bombs.
Benjie loves his family so much. His conversation with Bimbi mirrors how he
sees his father and his grandfather. Even with their imperfections, Benjie saw the perfect
love in them. Thus, upon talking to Bimbi about paternal love, what Benjie told Bimbi
were the actual thoughts of him about his father and grandfather.
Benjie and his father Benjie and his grandfather Benjie was saved by his
grandfather
In the same scene, Benjie has told Bimbi that he could save the lives of the people
in the whole Philippines and help his father defeat the bad people if he will tell the
44
location of the bomb. Despite of everything that Chua has done to Benjie, still Benjie
thought of the General to be the savior and did not put himself into it, “This is the only
way that you can make ligtas the whole Philippines from the bad people and your father
can make talo the bad people with this.” Benjie considered the emotions of the boy on his
father so, he build a “can-trust” image of Chua to Bimbi. From the diction of Benjie, he
talked to the child in straight English but chose to change two words into Filipino terms
such as “ligtas” and “talo”, instead of “save” and “defeat”. This somewhat proves that
Benjie recognizes the current position of Bimbi. He was still a child, thus, what he should
hear and know about the world must be subtler than how it is in the reality of a grown up.
When Benjamin and Jan Jaranjan met again, now to save Bimbi and find the last
bomb, Jan Jaranjan approached Benjie with a “hey” but, the approach did not start and
ended there. Jan Jaranjan greeted Benjie with “hey, bakla! How are you?” As to the
dismay of Benjie with what Jan called him, he answered, “don’t you dare call me… hey!”
In a usual form of conversation, specifically when people are of the same age
brackets and statuses, the greeting “hey” is a usual approach, but given that Jan Jaranjan
put another term “bakla” in his approach, it was never been that usual. As for the viewers,
they will assume that Benjie was insulted because of the term “bakla.” But, it turned out
that he has been upset with Jan greeting him with a “hey.”
There are two things which reflect Benjie with how he reacted to Jan Jaranjan,
that is, (1) he was not ashamed of being a homosexual since he has earned a lot of things
through pursuing his gender preference; and (2) he considered himself a man with a
45
position in the country and it is not proper to be referred to as “hey” because he was a
Benjie did not change his gender preference even when his grandfather displayed
dismay as he met him on the first time. Instead, he pursued his gender and use his own
capabilities to save his grandfather from the criminals (first sequel). As he became
famous and honored by the countrymen, he became so proud of himself that he thought
he was above everyone. Thus, it shows that Benjie is proud of being a gay and he still
demand Jan Jaranjan to recognize him as someone who is on top and has many
achievements.
After the meeting was adjourned, Benjie and General Chua argued about the
penalties Benjie will face because of the failure of the mission. Benjie told General Chua
about all the things that he has done for the country and what they did to him was not fair.
General Chua then told him “…Next time kasi, ‘wag kang magmamarunong, kung ayaw
mong tuluyang ma-dismiss sa serbisyo”, (Next time, don’t act as if you know everything
if you don’t want to be dismissed from the service). Benjie glared at him for what he has
said. Chua added that from the time being, everything that Benjie will do, he will have to
let Chua know, even his breathing. So, when General Chua has to hush Benjie for him to
answer a phone call, Benjie held his breath – stopped breathing, to follow the command
of his officer.
46
Being a commander of the military, Chua is used to giving exact orders. Benjie,
as someone who is under the supervision of the general, strictly follows what his superior
would order. As a leader, Chua is characterized as serious and firm. Given to this, Benjie
has thought that what Chua meant should strictly be imposed, thus, taking it seriously.
• The Insult
Also, he introduced the new terrorists who alarm the country, and they are called the
then, took the arm of the president for them to enter his office and talked about his latest
achievement which he branded “fresh.” Major Chua felt insulted and confronted Benjie at
hand and asked, “Iniinsulto mo ba ako?” (Are you insulting me?) He told Chua that he is
always angry and that he must install an air-conditioning unit on his forehead.
Chua has been used to set the rules and be followed. As he has been disregarded
by the president and Benjie, he felt insulted and disrespected. Being the commander, he
wants everyone to follow his orders. He felt that the authority must be felt and that Benjie
Bimbi
In a desperate try, Benjie confronted Bimbi to tell him where the bombs are.
Bimbi told Benjie that he does not trust anyone and he only trusts his mom. The boy even
exemplified that Benjie is not his mom and he will not tell Benjie the location of the
In the Philippine context, gays are associated with horses. Given the age of Bimbi,
age of high-tech communication, technology driven lifestyles and prolific use of social
media (Waterworth, 2013). TV shows with gay actors are everywhere and their
association to horses is highly abundant. This reveals what kind of a boy is Bimbi. He is
When Benjie gained the trust of Bimbi, the boy reminisce the memories of his
mom and how his mom reminded him not to trust anyone especially the operation.
Gundina interrupted the drama and demanded Benjie to ask Bimbi the locations of the
bombs while the boy is weakened by his sentiments. Benjie, then, told Gundina to stop
talking and said, “Ba’t ka ba nagmamadali? Edi ‘pag sinabi n’ya edi tapos na ‘tong
pelikula?” (Why are you rushing? If he would tell us about it, the film would end soon).
Bimbi, then, let out his sentiments about his father, “I hate him so much. He never loved
mom, he never loved me. He abandoned us. I will never trust him”, in the tone of Cookie
monster.
Bimbi was raised solely by his mother. He grew up without the supervision of a
father. Upon meeting General Chua and knowing him for a short period of time, it was
hard for Bimbi to trust Chua just because he is his father. Given to that, the only person
whom he sees to be trusted is Krissy, alone. The tone which Bimbi used was to
emphasize how a little boy could have much anger. Given his age and position, the only
Gundina
As General Chua and Bimbi went home, the character of Gundina was presented.
When they noticed about the presence of Bimbi, she and Misty (the other daughter of
Chua) asked who the boy (bagets) is. Chua told them that the boy was his son. Gundina,
then, overreacted and said “No. No. Sino s’ya? Mas maganda ba s’ya? Mas bata? Sino
s’ya? Sagot. Sagot na.”, (Who is she? Is she more beautiful? Younger? Who is she?
Answer. Answer me!) Chua then, reminded her that she was just a maid in the house.
Gundina, then, moved aside to greet Bimbi with “Hi yaya! Yaya.”
Merriam-Webster) in the house, is supposed to take care of the household chores and of
the members of the household. Furthermore, Gundina also likes General Chua, thus, her
act as the wife of Chua is a revelation of her feelings. However, given her position in the
house, she cannot confess nor display her feelings for her boss because their statuses in
life are at far. Her greeting to Bimbi, “Hi yaya! Yaya”, is an evidence that she recognizes
her position in the house. What she can only do is to let go of her feelings and focus on
Benjie moved in the house of General Chua and there he met Gundina. Their first
introduction brought an instant rivalry. They even fought for the last message of Gundina
to Benjie before he enters his room, that is, “Meron lamang akong tatlong salita para
sa’yo: (1) isang, (2) malaking, (3) good luck.” (I have only three words for you: (1) one,
49
(2) big, (3) good luck) Benjie questioned the word count and Gundina did recount what
she has said and arrived finally to the conclusion that the word good luck is one word.
On the fourth try, Benjie decided to ask Bimbi the location of the bombs through
the use of jokes. Gundina then recommended trying to ask the boy directly where is the
bomb. Benjie then, questioned the pronunciation of Gundina of the word “bomb” as
“bam.” He even connected it to a particular name of a person who was named Bam
Aquino. When Gundina corrected her articulation, she pronounced the word as “bom”,
making Benjie associate it again with an actual name Bom Navarro (Vhong Navarro).
The phrase, “Isang malaking good luck (one big good luck),” is in Taglish – the
combination of Tagalog (Filipino) and English language. Gundina did not talk in straight
English. Another was the mispronunciation of the word “bomb.” Given the nature of her
work, it shows that Gundina was not able to pursue her studies because if she has, she
will never be a maid. As to how she talked with Benjie, the choices of words and the
manner of her delivery reveals the level of her education and her desire to be taken in.
Gundina likes General Chua and she has to be someone great to be recognized by the
general. Therefore, in her own simple way, she tries to show to other people that she is
not just a maid; she could also be someone knowledgeable. In that way, Gundina will be
noticed by General Chua and hopefully, they could fall in love with each other. The word
use and pronunciation of Gundina exposed the uneducated side of her character.
• “No, sir. How dare you, daring me. How you dare.”
After Benjie was dismissed in the Chua residence and in the service, he left the
house and that means leaving General Chua, Gundina and Bimbi alone. As Gundina had
50
the chance to talk one on one with Chua, she confronted the general about the lack of
time and attention Chua was giving towards his children. Chua avoided the drama and
tried to dismiss Gundina and said, “How dare you!” But, Gundina fired back and
answered, “No sir. How dare you, daring me. How you dare!”
The scene showed the explosion of Gundina towards Chua though, their subject
was not about the two of them. They argued about the relationship of Chua towards his
children. Gundina transfers her feelings to the parental obligation of Chua instead of his
true feelings for Chua. As a maid, the primary task of Gundina is to look after the
members of the household and that includes Bimbi and Misty. Given that her limitations
are only within the children, she chose to express herself through the issues of the
children.
Jan Jaranjan
After Jan Jaranjan stumbled and fall off his back, he managed to tumble up again
like the famous dancer and former member of the group Backstreet Boys – Jhong Hilario.
Benjie teased Jan Jaranjan of how he fell and got up, associating him to the said dancer,
Jan Jaranjan is the leader of the terrorist organization, UTO – UTO. Physically,
his body type is not of a dancer, for his built is intact and muscular. Usually, dancers have
defined calves and thighs, a long or straight torso (often emphasized by great posture)
and lean muscular arms. In men, the waist line tends to be thinner and in women, the
back/lower back is noticeably toned (Launchpad, 2014). There were also instances in the
Upon seeing the three (3) guys who planned and perform the execution of Krissy,
Jan Jaranjan asked the men if they also killed the boy – the son of Krissy. The men
answered while looking below, “Yes sir.” Jan Jaranjan, then said, “Good. Good. Let’s
enjoy the party. Mag-workout na rin kayo, dali!” (Good. Good. Let’s enjoy the party.
Though, there were scenes where Jan Jaranjan danced with Benjie (on their first
encounter), it was not a direct way of dancing, they were somehow dancing but they were
moving to fight. Jan Jaranjan branded himself as Jhong Hilarious because he considered
dancing as hilarious. He does not see himself as a dancer because he is not interested in
such. Furthermore, there was no actual party in the scene. There was only gym equipment
in a closed room and men working out. This shows how Jan Janjaran enjoys working out;
Dictionary).
When Jan Jaranjan knew that Bimbi is the son of General Chua, he abruptly
commanded his men to attack the house of the General. He talked to his deputy and said,
“Lusubin natin sila, I want the kid”, (Let us attack their house. I want the kid.) In an
instant, the group of Jan Jaranjan was already in the house and killed everyone that
guards it. Jan Jaranjan, being the leader, holds a dog instead of a gun and ordered his men
Jan Jaranjan is the villain in the film and he is a terrorist. A terrorist is someone
who uses terror especially as a means of coercion (Merriam-Webster). Given the fact that
they must make the people frightened because that is the nature of their job, Jan Jaranjan
should have his own gun to make people frightened of him. But, he just carried a dog
with him and directed his men to do the works instead. This just shows how dependent
Jan Jaranjan is with his organization. He just directs them into the work without doing it
on his own. Although he was carrying a gun on his first encounter with Benjie, he was
not able to use it because it malfunctioned. Another was in the last encounter; he also
carried a gun with him as he terrifies Bimbi for him to tell where the bomb is. Gundina,
being so annoying because she always interrupts Jan Jaranjan from talking, was not shot
by Jan Jaranjan even though he has all the chance to do it. This reveals how soft he is. He
is not able to inflict pain or terror unto the people. What he just really wanted was to have
the four (4) notable places in the Philippines and not to hurt others by himself. He let
All of the notable characters in the film have their own disposition in life which
they held and dignified throughout the film. Their actions on specific situations may
sometimes be for the benefit of others but more of to their own benefits as individuals.
They believe that what they think is true may always be true with the other characters.
The researchers will identified the “truth” held by the characters and question them based
Benjie
Dictionary). It requires a person to have strong endurance of physical strength to face the
challenges in every encounter and most of the time, men are part of it. On the other hand,
homosexuals are born as men but are sexually attracted to people of the same sex
competitions (Miss Gay) and Television Show (Destiny Rose). Given to that observation,
Benjie being a homosexual in the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014), as well
as being part of the military serves to catch criminals using their physical power. The film
broke the perception of “only tough men could join the military.” The military trains men
to be “men”, where men pertain to those who are attracted to the opposite sex and are
engaged into battles and fights. But, the film made use of a homosexual colonel who has
Benjie, being a homosexual member of the Philippine army broke the norm (an
with his chosen path, he believed that he could be one of the best of men in the service,
regardless of his gender. Thus, he always compete with others, especially General Chua.
His confidence towards the competition evolves from his belief that despite of being a
In the field of Military or any other legal forces, they follow this hierarchy of
leaders whose orders are strictly followed. Like in the film Pearl Harbor (2001),
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American Sniper (2014), and even in real life where the Philippines lost forty-four (44) of
its policemen on the Mamasapano Encounter (2015) – all of the characters obeyed their
officers without any questions and oppositions. It is an undeniable fact not only in the
Military but also in other professions that the higher officials must be followed. In the
case of Benjie in the film, he disobeyed most of the orders of Chua being his
commanding officer and a General. In the hierarchy of Philippine Military, the staffs are
Benjie belongs to the group of officers given that he is a Colonel. On the other hand,
Chua belongs to the group of General Officers given that he is a General, the highest
among the General Officers; thus, breaking the hierarchical norm of the Military.
Chua to Benjie, “Dito ka lang, hindi mo kilala si Jan Jaranjan” (Stay here, you do
not know Jan Jaranjan) But, Benjie still went at the encounter and disobeyed the
refused, “Eh sir, isabak nyo na kami sa kahit saang giyera huwag lang sa pagiging
personal bodyguard.” (Sir, you could send us in any war; but not by being a
personal bodyguard.)
He was ordered to know where the bombs are located by being the personal
bodyguard of Bimbi but when Bimbi finally told him, he did not tell it to Wilson
to keep his promise to Bimbi, “Ako nalang sisira sa mga bomba, tapos sasabihin
ko nalang kay General Chua kapag napagtagumpayan ko na.” (I will just destroy
the bomb, then I will just inform General Chua when I succeeded.)
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Being able to complete missions and be awarded by the President of the Republic
of the Philippines, Benjie became sure that he could compete with General Chua. Given
their differences in personalities and handling missions, they often argue and fight. Benjie
has ignored the position of Chua because of his belief that he could be as good as the
Benjie and Jan Jaranjan got tired of their fight and Benjie asked him why not be
friends instead of enemies? Benjie asked for his Twitter and Instagram account for them
to follow each other, “Hindi ba pwedeng magkaibigan nalang tayo? Anong Twitter mo
tsaka Instagram? Follow kita”, (Can’t we just be friends? What is your Twitter and
Instagram account? I will follow you.) In that situation, the standard of rivalry especially
between the military and terrorism has been broken when they instantly forgot that they
Friendship between a terrorist and a member of the army is not a usual friendship.
One brings the terror while the other protects the people from it. Benjie has believed that
he could befriend Jan Jaranjan. As to how Benjie had use the power of words and
could really be friends. However, what Benjie assumed to be real cannot actually be true
Gundina
In the usual setting, maids ought to follow the orders of their bosses. Like in the
film Maid in Manhattan (2002), Jennifer Lopez as the lead character always obey her
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boss in his every commands. In the subject film, Gundina plays the same character as
Jennifer (being a maid) but unlike Jennifer, she sometimes exceeds her limits. She often
When Chua introduced Bimbi to their house and he reacted like the wife and
demanded Wilson for an explanation, “Sino s’ya? Maganda ba s’ya? Mas bata?
Sino s’ya? Sagot! Sagot na!” (Who is she? Is she more beautiful? Younger? Who
Gundina displays a one-sided “like” on General Chua. This is evident on the way
she reacted to Chua with the revelation about Bimbi and her confrontation to the general
for his parenting. Given her position in the house, even though Gundina is a maid, she is
still the manager of all the maids in the Chua household. She thought that because she
was given the trust to supervise other workers, the house, and the children, she could
have a say to everything inside the house. Moreover, her responsibility has brought her
hope that someday, she could be the wife of Chua since, she was already taking care of
everything. However, what she assumed that could be true will never be real because she
When Jan Jaranjan abducted Bimbi, her sister Misty, and Gundina, Jan Jaranjan
bugged Bimbi to make him confess where the bombs are located. Gundina did the same
way as Jan Jaranjan did, but she was interrupted by Bimbi who told her that even if he
would tell the locations of the bombs, he would still kill them. Gundina got angry and
asked Jan Jaranjan for an explanation, “Totoo? Totoo ba ang sinabi ng bata? Ang kapal
ng mukha mo!” (Is it true? Is the child telling the truth? How dare you!)
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In those difficult situations, hostages are known to stay quiet and frightened when
they are in danger like the film Captain Phillips (2013) and in Philippine event Manila
Hostage Crisis (2010). But, Gundina always talk. That is very evident with her fights
with Benjie, confrontations with Chua, as well as petty fights with Bimbi. Moreover,
during the kidnapping incident, she even confronted Jan Jaranjan who was technically her
kidnapper. These just show how Gundina got used with letting out her opinion. She was
given all the freedom to talk in her workplace and with her boss. Thus, she has only
executed her attitude as the mayor do ma, “the girl who has a say on everything.” She
thought that Jan Jaranjan could also be manipulated and it turned out that he is.
Jan Jaranjan
Terrorists are known to use violence to frighten the people in an area as a way of
trying to achieve their desire (Merriam-Webster). They are known to possess these
images of being terribly ugly and gangster-like. In the film Momzilla 2013, the terrorists
who tried to harm the couple characters (Billy Crawrford and Andy Eigenman), looks
like maniacs trying to rape the character of Andy. Taken Sequels 1, 2 and 3, on the other
hand, have antagonists who are drug addicts. But in the case of Jan Jaranjan, he possesses
none of the abovementioned attributes. He and his troop only do work outs to maintain
Jan Jaranjan felt afraid of Gundina as he lied to her about sparing them if Bimbi
would tell him where the bomb is. It turned out that he has no plan of saving them; he
will kill them no matter what. He shook his head while Gundina was shouting at him as if
he needed to defend himself to someone authoritative while in fact, the authority was in
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his hands, like in the film Captain Phillips (2013) and in an actual event in the
Philippines which is Manila Hostage Crisis (2010), capturers were not afraid of the
Terrorists are expected to bring terror to the country. It might be in the form of
bomb attacks, but their physical appearance is expected to reflect their evilness. Jan
Jaranjan displayed his love of himself through his fondness of working out. Based from
his physical appearance in the subject film, he was really maintaining his figure. He
believes that his body is worth maintaining, thus, his attitude as a terrorist does not suit
him. Moreover, he did not carry with him a gun when he and his organization kidnapped
Bimbi. Rather, he held a dog with him and ordered his men to do the “dirty” work for
him.
The ultimate rivalry between the groups of Jan Jaranjan which is called United
General Chua and Benjie with the military men started from the fight for possession of
the notable places in the Philippines which are: Baguio, Batanes, Boracay, and Palawan.
This has caused the chaos among other characters in the film. The minor commotions
happened between and among characters which caused the film to prolong.
The Philippine Military fights against the United Terrorists’ Organization United
Terrorists’ Organization (UTO-UTO) to save the country from the bomb threats. The
UTO – UTO is the villain in the film who ordered Krissy to implant bombs on random
places in the country. They are leaded by Jan Jaranjan. The Philippine army, on the other
59
hand as the protector of the country, must stop the explosion before it could hurt or in the
worst case, kill people. The conflict between both parties arises as they defend their
obligations and desires in life. Instances of power struggle happened at the abandoned
building where the troops of Chua and Benjie and the UTO – UTO had their first
encounter; and at the mall where the Philippine Army composed by the troops of Chua
and Benjie came to save Gundina and the children of Chua from the UTO – UTO who
The first encounter between Benjie and Jan Jaranjan happened in an abandoned
building together with the other troops from the Philippine army. Benjie and Jan Jaranjan
exchanged punches and kicks since their weapons dysfunctioned. As they got tired of
fighting, Benjie offered Jan Jaranjan friendship by asking his social media accounts.
”Napagod na ako girl! Hindi ba pwedeng maging magkaibigan nalang tayo?” (I’m tired,
girl. Can’t we just be friends?) Jan Jaranjan agreed, however, he tricked Benjie by giving
him a briefcase as a “token of friendship”, in which Benjie later on, found out that the
The fight between the two has extended because they represent the two
adversaries (Philippine Army and UTO – UTO). The rivalry has been also intensified
given that Benjie lost his grandfather because of the bomb which Jan Jaranjan gave to
him.
The last encounter between Benjie and Jan Jaranjan happened at the mall where
Benjie chased Jan Jaranjan to save Bimbi. At first, Jan Jaranjan underestimated Benjie for
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he is only a homosexual, “Eh paano mo ako matatalo? Bakla ka lang”, (How will you
defeat me? You are just a homosexual/gay). Then, they fought again until Benjie wins by
The fight between Jan Jaranjan and Benjie was not just about the bomb, Bimbi,
and/or the safety of the public. The fight also brought out the fight of Benjie against
prejudices. As Benjie knocked down Jan Jaranjan, Benjie has also defeated the prejudices
The battle between men versus homosexuality extends to Benjie fighting for his
position as a homosexual. Benjie has long fought for the acceptance of the society which
leads him in pushing himself to be better than any heterosexual in the military. His fight
towards other characters were driven by his own motivation, his own goals, for his own
satisfaction.
Both Benjie and Chua are members of the Philippine army. However, they have
different ways to solve the mission as well as to get the trust of Bimbi.
• Benjie VS. Chua: Who Will Handle the Mission with the UTO- UTO?
Upon watching the video message of Jan Jarajan to the Philippines, the soldiers
drove to catch Jan Jaranjan in an abandoned building. Benjie was ordered by Chua to stay
at their command center “…No Santos, hindi mo kilala si Jan Jaranjan”, (No Santos, you
do not know Jan Jaranjan) but he insisted and still joined the mission. ”Anong ginagawa
mo dito? I told you to stay at the command center” (What are you doing here? I told you
to stay at the command center) Chua confronted Benjie who was not expected to be there.
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“Sir nandito po kami para tumulong” (Sir, we are here to help) Benjie explained to Chua.
Benjie started to contest against the order of Chua by following his own desire. Given
their motivations, the opposition between Benjie and Chua has risen. But, the fact that
Chua was the one with the higher rank, even with the good intention of Benjie, he was
still dismissed from the service and he was handled down to General Chua.
As the search for the locations of the bombs became hard, General Chua became
desperate which led him to a confrontation with Bimbi and forced him to tell where the
locations are. When Benjie saw Chua hurting Bimbi, he interrupted him, “Pati bata
pinapatulan niyo? So anong gagawin n’yo ngayon dahil matigas ulo ng anak nyo, ipe-
pressure cooker niyo para lumambot?” (You are even fighting with the child? So what
will you do, pressure cook his head because he is stubborn?) Chua then replied to him
that he is not in the place to come in between them as father and son, ”Huwag mo nga
pakialaman pagdidisiplina ko sa anak ko, isa ka pa wala kang disiplina” (Do not question
how I discipline my child, even you do not have discipline unto yourself). Both of the
Benjie has been attached to Bimbi as their time together lengthened. Because of
his concern for the child, Benjie tried to defend him from his own father. Given their
position in the house, Chua was still the father and Benjie was just there to look after the
child. The battle between emotional attachment and blood relation has taken its place.
When Benjie was blamed because Bimbi has fainted, the Doctor asked him if they
really do not know that Bimbi has a history of asthma. Gundina and Benjie has told the
62
doctor that they do not know Bimbi has an asthma. They narrated, then, how Bimbi had
gotten in the house. Then, Chua interrupted them. Benjie, then, confronted Chua that the
problem was not the asthma, instead, it is the care from his father which is lacking. “…
dahil baka hindi naman talaga hika ang sakit ng anak nyo, baka nangangailangan lang ng
kalinga at atensyon ng isang ama.” (…maybe because your child is not suffering from
asthma, maybe he just needs care and attention from a father.) Chua nagged at Benjie
because of the outcome of letting Bimbi go at the mall. He also reminded Benjie that he
just gave him a favor since nobody likes him in the service anymore. ”Let me remind you
Santos hindi kita kailangan, wala ng may kailangan sayo sa serbisyo, I am just doing you
a favor kaya umayos at lumugar ka!” (Let me remind you Santos, I do not need you; there
is no one who needs you in the service. I am just doing you a favor, so fix yourself and
know your place). Their fight continued because of their different principles. Chua is
very committed to his job while Benjie became committed to Bimbi. Thus, it created
Since Benjie was given a task to locate the bombs through guarding Bimbi, he
performed different ways in order to make Bimbi confess. But in some of his trials, he
became impatient resulting both of them to fight verbally. Their fight happens when
Bimbi does not cooperate to stop the bombs from exploding. However, their major fight
was the confrontation with General Chua where Bimbi questioned how Benjie was
supposed to respect the general, and Benjie on the other hand, questioning his
uncooperative attitude. This created the fight on who did wrong. However, both of them
Instances of Gundina and Benjie fighting verbally are evident through their
frequent arguments. Benjie was always irritated to Gundina for the reason that she always
interrupts Benjie on doing his ways. On the other hand, Gundina being the mayor do ma
of the house claimed the authority in the house which led into a series of argumentation
and debates.
Since Benjie was introduced in the house of Wilson, the treatment of Gundina
towards him was undeniably unpleasant. It started when she talked about her position in
the house telling Benjie that she is the mayor do ma of the house, ”Ako si Gundina
do ma of this house.) In response to Gundina, Benjie asked Chua to choose a maid who is
healthier than Gundina next time. ”Sir sa susunod naman na kukuha ka ng mayor do ma
eh yung may laman laman naman,” (Sir, the next time you hire a mayor do ma, hire the
one who is in good shape.) After the introduction, all members of the household left.
Gundina then threatened Benjie and said, “Benjie, Benjie, Benjie tatlong salita lamang
para sa’yo. Isang malaking good luck!” (Benjie, Benjie, Benjie, I just have three (3)
words for you; One big good luck.) Benjie made a question to Gundina about the word
“isang malaking good luck” that this has four (4) words “Kahit apat yun?” (Even if it is
composed of four (4) words?) Gundina insisted that the word “good luck” is only one
word “Tatlo lang yun, dahil isang salita lang ang good luck”, (There is only three (3)
words, good luck is just one word.) From then, their opposition against each other has
continued.
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Instances of Benjie and Gundina fighting happened most because of Bimbi. Since
Benjie is assigned to be the personal bodyguard of Bimbi and Gundina acts as the mother
of the child, both of them oppose the decision of the other resulting to verbal fights.
Benjie and his friends are having a guessing game with Bimbi in relation to the
word “bomb”. In the middle of their enjoyment, they were interrupted by Gundina
as she suggested to Benjie to ask Bimbi directly where the bomb is. ”Bakit ganito,
hindi niyo nalang itanong sa bata Where is the “bam”?” (Why not asks the child:
Bimbi is about to tell where the bombs are. Benjie told Gundina to stay away
from the room they are in. At first, she refused for the reason that she also wanted
to hear what Bimbi is about to tell. “Oh ayan nagsasalita na yung bata, itanong mo
na kung nasaan ung ibang bomba, Dalian mo na, Dalian mo na”, (Oh there, the
child is already speaking, ask him where is the bomb, he is already emoting, ask
him where is the bomb, hurry, hurry up) then he was push away Gundina until she
gets away from the door “Doon ka nga muna, bumaba ka doon at gumawa ka ng
pagkain, chismosa!” (Just stay there, go down and prepare some food, gossiper!)
Benjie and Gundina had also an encounter at the mall in terms of the security of
Bimbi since there are many people there. Benjie had an idea of disguising Bimbi
and himself into a a famous cartoon character Sarah ang Munting Prinsesa which
he thinks no one could really identify them. Gundina, could not relate on them
that is why she negated the idea of Benjie, “Oh bakit ka naman naka ganyan? Ang
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O.A. mo rin tlga e!” (Why are you dressed like that? You are really O.A.!) “Ikaw
alam mong delikado ang buhay niya, inilabas labas mo dito”, (You should
remember, that child you are with now is your responsibility because his life is in
danger; and you brought him out). Gundina has said. Benjie countered her and
said that he knows and is sure on what he is doing.” Alam kong ginagawa ko at
sisiguraduhin kong hindi nila makikilala ang batang lalaking hinahanap nila.” (I
know what I am doing, and I will make sure that they will not identify this child
When Chua introduced Bimbi at home, Gundina reacted like her wife and forced
him to explain about Bimbi being his son. “Kalian pa ha? Sino sya? Maganda ba sya?
Mas bata? Sino sya? Sagot! Sagot na!” (Since when? Who is she? Is she more beautiful?
Younger? Who is she? Answer. Answer me!) Chua then, shouted back to Gundina
reminding her that she is just a maid, “Gundina! Papaalala ko lang sa’yo, kasambahay ka
lang dito!” (Gundina! Let me just remind you, you are just a maid in this house!)
This illustrates the battle between fantasy and reality. Gundina secretly likes Chua
but Chua does not know about it. For Gundina, she could be the wife of the general but
the reality was she is just a maid who was set to serve the Chuas with compensation.
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2.1. Pastiche
The film started with the arrival in France of the private plane of the lead
character (Benjie) and his troop. After Benjie and the troop of Colonel Charles Dickens
were introduce, they discussed about the spread of the virus in Europe which is the main
reason why the French troop asked for their help. While Benjie discusses the problem
with his troop, the French military men have transformed into zombies. Benjie and his
troop ran towards the airport so they could avoid the zombies but they did not notice that
the rest of the zombies were inside the building. They divide themselves into smaller
groups and ran toward different directions inside the airport. As they all met into a dead
end, Benjie managed to think of an idea how they could defeat the bunch of zombies at
hand.
The film pasted the elements of the setting and plot (conflict) of the foreign film
Warm Bodies 2013 where the lead character, who is a zombie, lived in an abandoned
airport together with the other infected zombies in their region. The lead character of the
film was also infected by a virus which turned him and all other people into zombies as
well. Although the lead character searched for a vaccine, the film focused on the love
story of a zombie with a human. The subject film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin 2014,
on the other hand, adopted and modified these elements into a short-term scene and used
them (airport and zombies) as an introduction to the current status of the main character –
a hero of his generation, saving the lives of people as a gay military man.
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As Benjie was thinking of ideas to defeat the zombies, a voice (of his father)
reminded him of the seeds which were given to him to be kept and let out only for
emergency purposes. Benjie, then, remembered the seeds handed to him by his father and
decided to plant them out. The seeds grew fast, and at a short moment, became plants
which shoot the zombies until they vanished. Benjie and his troop defeated the zombies
The elements of plants fighting against the zombies are adopted by the subject
film from a video game – Plants VS. Zombies. The game is about implanting different
kinds of plant into the backyard of the player to protect his house from zombies who eat
brains. The plants were grown through specific number of sunlight – more sunlight, the
faster the plants would grow. The subject film adopted the characteristics of plants as the
protector and zombies as the conquerors. However, in the game, the plants defeat the
zombies through dissembling their bodies but in the subject film, the zombies evaporated
as they were being shot. The game also uses the idea of brains as a representation for the
life of the player but the subject film uses actual humans.
Benjamin Santos, Benjie himself chose to stay in a bar (Birdie-Birdie) rather than
accepting the plaque of appreciation that will be awarded by the president. General Chua
then, decided to pick up Benjie in the bar to escort him to the event. As Chua approaches
him, Benjie daydreamed of General Chua (Richard Yap), as Sir Chief (the male lead
character in the local teleserye, Please Be Careful with My Heart). Benjie envisioned
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himself to be a maid, somewhat like the lead female character of the said teleserye –
Maya who was a maid. Benjie wore a revealing maid uniform where his legs, arms, and
chest were exposed. In his daydream, he was waiting for the Chua (as Sir Chief in his
imagination) to come near him as he was unbuttoning his long sleeves. Benjie (playing
the role of the maid, somewhat Maya), looked him in the eyes as he does the peace sign
The teleserye Please Be Careful with My Heart is a love story of Richard and
Maya where the man (Richard) fell in love with her innocent, kind and conservative maid
(Maya) who is from the province. The subject film pasted the characters of the
characters especially the concept of the maid who is innocent. Benjie, acting the character
of the maid changed the image portrayed by Maya in the teleserye into a cosplayer
(costume player) who is dressed in a maid costume because of his movement doing the
peace sign. Cosplay refers to the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie,
book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime
(Google Online Dictionary). The famous peace sign was widely used and known to
originate from Japan. According to Barron (2011), the spontaneous V-sign (peace sign) is
it as soon as they can control their hands – as evidenced by photos of crying toddlers who
find the wherewithal through their tears to raise two little fingers. Also, the revealing
wardrobe of Benjie has exemplified that he was doing cosplay for cosplay also emanated
Bimbi (James Aquino Yap) played as the son of General Chua from another
woman, who is named Krissy (Kris Aquino), who happens to be the key solution to find
the locations of the implanted bombs. In a scene where Benjie and General Chua were
searching for Bimbi, they were on a rescue to save Krissy and his son. Darla (the personal
assistant of Krissy), point out the direction where Bimbi could be found before he died.
When Benjie and Chua reached the location, they found a large cage containing
numerous lads inside. They were all dressed with the same shirt, same shorts and with the
same eyeglasses. Upon seeing the picture of Krissy, Benjie then let out a piece of bagua
and present it to the lads to distinguish who among them is the boy whom they are
searching for. When he reached the third boy, the boy screamed in a voice familiar with
the trademark scream of the lead character of the film Feng Shui, who happens to be Kris
Aquino.
The use of the bagua and the scream acknowledges another local horror film –
Feng Shui (2004). The subject film adopted the horrifying effect done by the bagua to
anyone who sees it. However, the subject film did not highlight the fright of the boy upon
seeing the bagua to maintain the comedic feel of the subject film. Benjie let out the bagua
for three (3) times to make sure that they really found the right boy, making the scene
Aside from his irritation to General Chua, Benjie occasionally shows his desire
for his senior officer. When Benjie and Chua had their “lone time” together, sitting on the
edge of the pool while drinking alcohol, Benjie sang the theme song of the teleserye
Please Be Careful with My Heart which is also the title of the song itself. Benjie sang the
first lines of the song ...If you love me, like you tell me, please be careful with my heart...
The theme song of the said teleserye usually plays during the scenes where the
lead characters were having their romantic time together. However, in the subject film,
Benjie himself, sang the theme song while looking at the sky and touching the face of
Chua. When Benjie tried to kiss the General, Chua suddenly woke up, making Benjie
jump unto the swimming pool. Benjie has shown a one-sided like to the General. Singing
the song on his own showed that he was the only person feeling the romance between
them where the other one does not feel the same.
Deal or No Deal
The second bomb was located and was place inside a briefcase, Benjie danced
like one of the ladies who hold briefcases in the TV Show Deal or No Deal.
The incorporation of the briefcases and the dance acknowledge the TV show Deal
or No Deal wherein there are girls who hold briefcases which contain monetary amounts
2.2. Intertextuality
When Benjie became close with Bimbi, he took Bimbi to the mall to make the
boy happy. Unfortunately, the boy was under protection due to his knowledge about the
locations of the bombs. Thus, in order for Bimbi to be safe while outside the Chua
residence, Benjie decided to disguise himself and Bimbi into characters from the local
film Sarah, Ang Munting Prinsesa (1995). Benjie dressed himself as the strict and
morose head of the school – Miss Minchin, while he dressed Bimbi on the clothes
particularly worn by Sarah. Benjie and Bimbi went out of the Chua mansion through the
use of a ladder. Unfortunately, Gundina has seen them and told them she will tell General
Chua about it. As Benjie explained to Gundina how sad the boy has become because he
was unable to go outside, Gundina let them go to the mall and she accompanied them in
return.
Benjie and Bimbi mimicked the images portrayed by the characters of Miss
Minchin and Sarah. Benjie even mentioned the lines of Miss Minchin “...ikukulong kita
sa chimineya”, (I will imprison you in the chimney) not to Sarah but to Gundina.
Gundina and the guard acknowledged Benjie as Miss Minchin and Bimbi as Sarah,
indicating that for that short scene, the characters of the subject film played the role of the
“I was never your partner, I’m just your wife” – Madrasta (1996)
As Benjie and Chua argued on how to convince Bimbi to tell them the location of
the bombs, the question of parenting arouse. Chua questioned how Krissy, being the
mother, raised Bimbi; Benjie questioned the way Chua disciplined his child; Bimbi
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questioned the attitude of Benjie towards his commanding officer. In the end, Benjie
brought out his sentiments until he arrives to the famous line of Sharon Cuneta in her
film, Madrasta (1996), “I was never your partner, I’m just your wife.” Chua, then, reacted
and said, “Sharon Cuneta?” Benjie then, recited the famous catch phrase of the
Based on how Chua responded to the sentiments of Benjie, the film Madrasta was
already been acknowledged. Sharon Cuneta is the lead actress of the said film and she
was a wife who, like Benjie, brought out her sentiments to her husband because of the
lack of respect. The performance of the endorsement also exemplifies that the subject
film recognized the film Madrasta and its lead actress, Sharon Cuneta.
As Benjie worked on his plan to locate the bombs and defuse them by himself,
one of his friend who is also a member of the military, contacted General Chua for help.
As the timer of the bomb ticked, the troop of General Chua approached. Benjie
accidentally threw the briefcase containing the bomb to one of the soldiers. As the timer
strikes at the last two (2) minutes, Benjie demonstrated the catch phrase of ABS-CBN
mobile as he faces the camera, “The last two (2) minutes is brought to you by ABS-CBN
The subject film made use and directly stated the company and/or the product it
offers. It mimicked how the company endorsed the product on television and during
television programs.
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As Jan Jaranjan knew that Bimbi was the son of General Chua, he thought of
taking the boy from the house. As the terrorists approached the house, they killed all the
bodyguards who surround it. Jan Jaranjan kidnapped Bimbi, Misty and Gundina and took
them to the mall where the last bomb is located. General Chua asked Benjie for help
because he did not know where the location of the last bomb is. Benjie then, gave Chua
the help that he needed. So, they all went to the mall. To make the people leave the mall,
Benjie thought of something that would make the process easy. He took the microphone
from a man and started reciting the chant of the local noon time show, It’s Showtime. He
talked through the microphone and shouted, What’s up madlang people? Mahal nyo ba
ang mga buhay n’yo? Pwes, may sasabog na bomba!” (What’s up, people? Do you love
your lives? Well, there will be a bomb exploding!) Everyone in the mall ran towards the
exit hastily.
Vice Ganda (Benjie) is one of the host of the mentioned noon time show. The
opening chant for the show which is What’s up madlang people is a part of the routine of
the show. It is to make sure that the audience enjoys the show and to maintain their
participation. However, in the subject film, the chant was used to inform the people that
there was a bomb inside the mall to make them leave abruptly.
2.3. Irony
At the airport scene, one of the friends of Benjie complained about the size of the
exit door of the private plane saying, “Ang sikip naman!” (The exit is too narrow) Then,
his other friends corrected him that it was not the door which was narrow, it was him who
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was just big, “Hindi masikip, Malaki ka lang”, (It is not narrow, you are just big). He
blamed what surrounded him but the truth is, it was his own figure which made it
Dicken asked for help to stop the spread of virus but he became the instrument
The troop of Colonel Dickens asked for help from the troop of Benjie stop the
spreading virus in Europe which turns the infected person into a zombie. In the middle of
their conversation, Benjie wondered what these zombies look like. Facing his troops, he
asked them “Paano natin malalaman kung sino kalaban natin?” (How can we know who
are our enemies?) As he turn around, the troop of Colonel Dickens turned themselves into
zombies and ran after them. As Dickens asked for help to stop the spread of virus, he also
A Denied Offering
Inside the abandoned airport where the troop of Benjie was having an encounter
with many zombies, there was a time when his big friend does not have any other way to
escape and he willingly offered himself to be eaten instead, “Sige, kainin muna ‘ko nang
matapos na’to, sige na!”, (Go eat me to end this chase, go!) but the zombie refused to
have a bite of him because of his cholesterol, “No, I don’t want! Too much cholesterol,
it’s bad for my health.” When his fat friend was ready to be eaten by the zombie, it
When the soldiers were about to attack the UTO-UTO after watching their video
message, Benjie assumed that his troops will also be a part of the mission to stop the
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terrorists since he has been awarded by the President upon saving Europe from the spread
of virus. Benjie executed his last mission successfully but Chua has blocked him from
accompanying them and ordered him to stay in the command center instead.
Despite of his desire to help everyone from the bomb explosion, the grandfather
of Benjie died. Though the bomb did not kill a lot of people, one of the most important
From the first sequel of the film The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin (2013), the
through his own way but in the second sequel The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014),
he ended up being a personal bodyguard. Despite of the award he has gotten and the
Chua and Benjie were at the swimming pool while drinking alcohol. They both
exchanged their cheers in a drinking glass but Benjie drank from the alcohol bottle
instead of drinking the alcohol he poured in the glass. It is expected that Benjie will drink
from the glass because he poured the alcohol there but then he drank from the bottle.
Benjie poured alcohol Benjie and Chua toasted Benjiie drank from the
into the glass their glasses alcohol bottle
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Benjie asked something in return from Chua. It is for him to kiss Benjie before he
accompany them to the location of the last bomb. But, Benjie changed his decision and
told Chua to do it at the end of the film. When the soldiers won against the terrorist, Chua
attempted to kiss Benjie but Bimbi interrupted them by putting the magical umbrella at
the back of Benjie’s dress and they both started elevating. Instead of getting his kiss from
Benjie and Chua are Bimbi hooked the Benjie and Bimbi flew Benjie kissed Bimbi on
about to kiss each umbrella at the back using the flying his forehead
other of Benjie umbrella
Zombie on a diet
When the troop of Benjie arrived in France and they were chased by the zombies,
the fat soldier offered himself to a zombie to eat him but the zombie rejected him and the
zombie said to him, “No, too much cholesterol, bad for my health.” Usually, zombies do
not refuse to any flesh especially when the size is bigger than the usual; like in the TV
series The Walking Dead (2010) and the movie Warm Bodies (2013). The mentioned
scene depicted a zombie who became choosy on his food. In that manner, the film
illustrated how the matter of life and death was made hilarious.
Benjie was invited to the Malacañang Palace to receive an award. He arrived late
for the reason that he chose to go to the Birdie-Birdie Bar. After receiving his tokens, he
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was called by his grandfather and was confronted on being late and was asked the place
where he came from. Benjie laughed and said, “It’s better to be late than very very late.”
Given the fact that the president serves as the supreme ruler who leads the whole country,
he must be respected. But, Benjie came late and made the president wait for him. That
shows disrespect. But, instead of showing guilt on the confrontation of his grandfather, he
Benjie was ordered by Chua to not join on the encounter with the UTO-UTO for
the reason that he does not know Jan Jarajan “Santos, stay in the Command Center, hindi
mo kilala si Jan Jarajan”, Santos, stay in the Command Center, you do not know Jan
Jaranjan). Pissed, he asked General Chua “Eh bakit ikaw ka-facebook mo?” (How about
Instagram”, (No, I follow him on Instagram). Benjie and Chua were currently facing a
terrorist attack but they made a joke out of their unknowingness of Jan Jaranjan, instead.
Benjie is grieving for the death of his grandfather but he still chose the persons
whom will catch him upon falling. He rejected the not-so-handsome men and directed the
handsome ones to do the catch. During a funeral, the family of the dead is expected to be
sad and lamenting. But, Benjie acted silly during the funeral of his grandfather by faking
a fall and choosing who will catch him, ridiculing the not-so-handsomes.
Chua commanded his deputy to bring the pictures of the terrorists for them to be
familiar of who will be their targets. But, instead of getting the picture of the terrorists,
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Chua received pictures of celebrities which are collected by Benjie. The meeting was
supposed to be serious because they were talking about the terrorists in here; however,
the insertion of celebrity pictures changed the ambiance of the film to less-tensioned.
Since Benjie is under the supervision of General Chua, his actions are also under
control. Benjie then asked, “pati paghinga?” (Even breathing?) Benjie took it seriously
and when General Chua received a phone call and said “Hold your breath,” Benjie did
held his breath. The conversation of the two is about the dismissal of Benjie from the
service. But, instead of compromising with General Chua, he made fun of himself by
At the time when Benjie and Jan Jaranjan first met, having both dysfunctional
weapons, they began to fight using their physical strengths. They exchanged boxes and
kicks as if they were dancing. But then, they just decided to be friends exchanged social
media accounts instead. Given what Benjie and Jan Jaranjan represents, they are not
supposed to befriend each other because they can’t comply with their demands. But,
given the way friendship was offered (through social media), it gave their rivalry humor.
When Benjie and General Chua was about to save Bimbi, they saw Darla lying on
the floor and is about to die. “Yan ba si Krissy?” (Is that Krissy?) Benjie asked. Chua
replied no. “Baka naman nalunod kaya bloated na si Krissy!” (Maybe Krissy’s drowned
that is why she is bloated) Benjie added. “Tumigil ka nga! Si Darla yan!” (Stop it! That is
Darla) Chua reiterated. While General Chua was asking Darla where is Bimbi, Benjie
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interfered saying, “Baka kinain nya si Bimbi kaya sya bloated!” (Maybe he ate Bimbi
that is why he is bloated!) The side comments of Benjie against Darla made the death
As Darla pointed where Bimbi was, they saw a group of lads wearing the same
outfits from head to toe. The troops were confused on distinguishing the real Bimbi so
Benjie thought of the bagua which is used the lead character of the film Feng Shui
(2004), who happens to be the mother of Bimbi in real life. The bagua was used in the
subject film to identify the real Bimbi in which their basis to find the real boy was
through scream.
As Chua, Bimbi and Benjie had an argument about parenting and respect, Benjie
mimicked the famous line from the film Madrasta (1996) which is, “Hindi mo lang s’ya
anak, anak ko din siya! No. I was never your partner! I’m just your wife!” (He is not just
your child, he is my child too! No. I was never your partner! I’m just your wife!) Chua
reacted with “Ngee, Sharon?” Their arguments were about serious problems which they,
themselves were encountering. By the insertion of the famous line, the scene became
comical for Benjie was not the wife of Chua and Bimbi was not their child, but he acted
as if he was.
When Benjie has realized what he could do to fix the problem on the bomb threats
and keeping his promise to Bimbi, he decided to leave their house instantly. His mother
then asked him “Oh, san ka ba pupunta?” (Where are you going?) Then, Benjie
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answered, “Bibili po ng Christmas tree para may ka-partner naman itong si Snowman.
Tamang tama may Belen na,” (I will buy a Christmas tree to partner with the snowman.
Perfectly, there is already a “belen”) “at mga tupa” (…and sheep) his mother added.
“May kabayo na nga may tupa pa?” (We already have a horse, now even a sheep?) Benjie
confronted her. The connection between the solution he thought and the Christmas tree
was vague and odd. However, because of the ridiculous shift of ideas, the seriousness of
When the second bomb was located, Benjie danced like one of the ladies who
hold a brief case in the TV Show Deal or No Deal. The bomb threat gave terror to the
people as well as the military. But, the way Benjie reacted to the found bomb was
inappropriate.
In the middle of an intense scene when the last minutes of the bomb is running
out, Benjie again incorporated a TV commercial before they expected the bomb to
explode, he recited the catch phrase of the advertisement of ABS-CBN mobile, “The last
2 minutes is brought to you by ABS CBN mobile, happy lang, walang ending!” They are
supposed to be terrified to lose their lives by this time but Benjie humored the situation.
Benjie arrived late for the wedding anniversary of his parents. Due to this, his
parents became mad at him because he prioritized his missions more than his family.
When his father reminded him how he was before, he pointed unto Benjie’s chest, “ano
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ba ang nasa loob nito?’ (What is inside this (pointing to his shirt)?) Benjie then answered,
“Utong”, (nipple).
The father of Benjie was actually giving him an advice to ponder, but, it turned
As they all arrived in the mall where the last bomb is located, Benjie, Chua, and
the military problematize the presence of a huge crowd. Benjie, then, thought of an idea
to make the people leave; that is, in the form of a chant from the noontime TV show, It’s
Showtime. Benjie has announced “What’s up madlang people! Mahal nyo ba ang mga
buhay n’yo? Pwes, may sasabog na bomba!” (What’s up, people? Do you love your
lives? Well, there will be a bomb exploding!) The people exited the mall hastily
afterwards. The solution made by Benjie has been effective; however it was odd, given
the situation.
The Disguise
Benjie brought Bimbi to the mall for the fulfillment of his promise to the child. To
disguise themselves, they dressed up into the characters of Miss Minchin and Sarah,
notable characters from the local film, Sarah Ang Munting Prinsesa (1995). The disguise
went good and they continued to roam in the mall. When Benjie saw a free-taste of
peperoni, he took two (2) pieces and put them into the cheeks of Gundina. He, then,
identified Gundina as Loti, another character from the said local film. When he has saw a
guard along the way, Benjie took his arm and claimed that they were already complete.
There was Miss Minchin, Sarah, Loti, and Emengard. This scene illustrates how Benjie
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needed to secure the safety of Bimbi. However, it became humorous because of the added
characters.
2.5. Faction
The bombings in General Santos City - some 215 miles from where U.S. forces
were holding counter terrorism exercises with their Filipino counterparts - were the
bloodiest in the mainly Christian country since suspected Muslim extremists killed 14
and wounded over 100 in a wave of bombings in the capital Manila in December 2000.
Police had blamed last year's attacks on Muslim guerrillas fighting for an Islamic
state in the south of the country. In Sunday's attacks, a home-made bomb left in a parked
pedicab exploded as shoppers waited for rides home outside a shopping mall. Ten
minutes later, another bomb thrown by unidentified attackers exploded near a residential
compound. The police suspected the bomb-throwers had also planted the first bomb. A
man who said he represented the Muslim Abu Sayyaf guerrilla group, which operates in
the country's south and is linked by the United States to Saudi-born militant Osama bin
Laden's al Qaeda network, called local RMN radio and claimed responsibility for the
blasts.
The subject film displays notable similarities from this attack in the year 2000. (1)
There was the presence of bomb as the instrument of terror, (2) a group of terrorists
which planted the said bomb, and (3) the motivation was to own a specific place, a state
of their own.
The main conflict on the subject film was the explosion of the bombs which were
planted by the terrorists’ organization UTO – UTO headed by Jan Jaranjan. The film
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itself revolved on the search for the locations of the bomb and stopping them from
exploding. The main motivation of the UTO – UTO is to have some notable places in the
country namely: Baguio, Batanes, Boracay, and Palawan. Although both the incident and
the film have the elements of terrorism, the incident involved many terrorist groups both
local and international. Furthermore, the bombs on the incidents were planted by different
groups whereas in the film, only the group of Jan Jaranjan has found responsible for the
bombs.
Zamboanga, on the island of Mindanao, on Thursday, killing six people outright and
injuring 143, 20 of whom are in critical condition. Islamic fundamentalist groups are
This was the third bomb attack in the country this month. On the 2 nd day of
October year 2002, three people were killed in an attack attributed to the terrorist
organizations Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. On the 10 th day of
October, a larger explosion killed eight people. Now the Filipino government has added
the Jemaah Islamyah group to its list of suspects, after the bomb which killed nearly 200
This group fights for a united Islamic state which includes the territory of
Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Sultanate of Brunei and the southern Philippines.
Similarly, the news also presented three (3) similarities with the subject film: (1)
there is an existing terrorist group. However, there is only one group of terrorist in the
subject film which is the UTO – UTO. The article presented three (3) different groups
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who are suspected to be responsible for the bomb attacks (Abu Sayyaf, Moro Islamic
Liberation Front, Jemaah Islamyah; (2) their motivation is to have territories. Compared
to the terrorists in the subject film, the real attack demands for a larger scope of
territories. They want the whole countries to conquer and; (3) the presence of the bombs
as the instruments of terror. The subject film and the article has mentioned three (3)
2.6. Maximalism
In the beginning of the story, Colonel Benjamin Santos (Benjie) and his troop
landed in France to help the troop of Colonel Charles Dickins about the spread of virus in
Europe. Benjie greeted them “Bonjour” (good day in French) and one of his friends asked
“Anong Bonjour?” Instead of translating the word, Benjie adopted the sound of
“Bonjour” as a substitute word for “Bunggo” (Filipino word for crash); he then added
“Yung bata na-bonjour!” There is no direct connection between the words “bonjour” and
“bunggo.” The response of Benjie to the question of his friend is not related to the actual
terrorists, but he received pictures of celebrities which are collections of Benjie, but Chua
is referring to the actual pictures of the terrorists. It is on the second try when he received
the pictures he has been looking for. The scene took so long just for Chua to gather the
pictures from his subordinate. The pictures of the celebrities were not connected to the
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meeting of the military about the terrorists; moreover, Benjie was not included in that
While Benjie is being interviewed, he was asked by one of the reporters if the
Philippines is ready for the threat brought by terrorism “Handa naba ang Pilipinas sa mga
banta raw ng terorismo?” (Is the Philippines ready for the threats of terrorism). He
answered that their troops are ready to fight the UTO-UTO “Handang-handa ang buong
sandatahan para sa mga paglusob ng mga teroristang ‘yan; at inihanda ko talaga at trinain
ang mga sundalong ito para sa mga UTO-UTO. Handa silang lahat” (The army is
prepared for the terrorist attacks; and I trained them for these UTO-UTO. They are all
ready). He, then, asked a question if that reporter is also ready to admit that he is the
father of Kokey “Ikaw, handa kana bang aminin na ikaw ang ama ni Kokey?” (How about
you, are you ready to admit that you are the father of Kokey?). Kokey is a fictional
character in a television show with the same title, who is an alien and talks odd. The
question that Benjie has given to the reporter is not connected with the topic they are
talking about.
When Benjie insisted to join the encounter of the troop with the UTO-UTO, he
was caught by General Chua and asked why he was there when he was told to stay at the
command center. Benjie explained that they are there to help and said that they brought
gadgets with them (pointing to their magical weapons). The word gadget does not fit to
the object which he was pointing at for it describes something that is run by electricity
mechanical or electronic device with a practical use. Given to that observation, his usage
The Dance
At the time when Benjie and Jan Jaranjan had their first encounter, both of them
are having dysfunctional weapons, they began to fight using their physical strengths.
While doing that, they danced while exchanging punches and kicks. The scene that was
described in the film requires an intense anger but the both parties danced which depicts
happiness. Given to that, the scene became emotionally disconnected for the reason that a
fight describes the use of weapons or physical force to try to hurt someone, to defeat an
After they fought and get tired of fighting, Benjie asked him if they could just be
friends and asked his social media accounts to follow him (Instagram and Twitter) “Hindi
ba pwedeng magkaibigan nalang tayo? Anong Twitter mo tsaka Instagram? Follow kita”
(Why cannot we become friends? What is your Twitter and Instagram? I will follow
you.) Jan Jaranjan then replied to him and gave his account with the same username
“Pareho lang @janjaran_jan lang” (They are the same, @janjaran_jan only). Benjie and
Jan Jaranjan are supposed to fight against each other because they are rivals.
In the scene where Jan Jaranjan gave the briefcase to Benjie as a token of their
friendship, Benjie did not know that the case contains a bomb which is in time for
explosion. The grandfather of Benjie saw him with the bomb and told him to go with him
for there is no way to stop that bomb from exploding. Benjie listened to him and they
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have decided to use the flying umbrella. Instead of running away from the bomb, they
used the weapon which slowly works and can only carry one person at a time. His
grandfather died to save the life of Benjie. They actually have the chance and the time to
run but they did not. This triggered the conflicts between and among characters which
When Benjie cried in front of the coffin of his grandfather, he cried until he
fainted consciously. He was caught by an ugly guy and he got back to stand and criticized
him “Ang panget mo” (You are ugly!). Then he called the good looking guys seated in
front and signaled them to catch him while he resume his fainting. The scene became
odd when Benjie chose the good looking guys to catch him fainting for the reason that the
ugly and good looking guys have no connection to who could help who.
Benjie and Wilson came to look for Bimbi being hostaged by the UTO-UTO
Gang. At the time where they found the group of lads in the area, through the help of
Darla, they got confused for the reason that they all dressed the same – same shirt, same
shorts and with the same eyeglasses. So in order to identify Bimbi, Benjie used a bagua to
know the real son of Chua among them. As Benjie presented the bagua to the lads, Bimbi
shouted upon seeing it. The idea of bagua being the instrument to identify Bimbi among
other boys is not connected to the plot and even to the characterization of any character.
Exaggeration of Gundina
General Chua and Bimbi arrived at their house. Their maid, Gundina, greeted
them. When he heard General Chua introducing Bimbi as his son, he acted like a wife,
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asking General Chua to explain about the mother of Bimbi “Kalian pa ha? Sino s’ya?
Maganda ba s’ya? Mas bata? Sino s’ya? Sagot! Sagot na!” (Who is she? Is she more
beautiful? Younger? Who is she? Answer. Answer me!) General Chua, then, reminded
Gundina that she was just a maid “Gundina, papaalala ko lang sa’yo, kasambahay ka lang
ditto, ‘di kita asawa” (Gundinan, let me just remind you, you are just a maid here, you are
not my wife). Gundina was just a maid and has no direct relation to Chua but she acted as
When Benjie was being introduced to the household of Chua, he met Gundina, the
mayor do ma ( of the house. Benjie acted surprisingly when he saw Gundina talking and
teased her by asking if she is still alive “Buhay ka pa ba?” (Are you still alive?) Benjie
underestimated the capability of Gundina as the mayor do ma of the house given her
figure. There was no relation between the figure of Gundina and her ability to work.
The Trick
Bimbi tricked Benjie and said that the map of the location of the bomb is inside
the chicken which they were eating. Bimbi added in Chinese Way ’a Tzu wherein Benjie
interpreted it as Bimbi wants his friend to leave because of the sound of Tzu similar to
shooo – a term used when repeatedly moving your hand away from you in a short motion
with your fingers down to tell an animal or person to leave (Merriam-Webster). Big Boy
took his turn to interpret what Bimbi has said, he associated Tzu into an English word
chew. Benjie questioned the interpretation given by Benjie’s and associated Tzu to a
person, an actress specifically which is Kim Chiu. Chiu is known to have a skinny body
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type and Benjie told Big Boy that Kim Chiu does not eat. All they were associating to
Benjie and his close friends among his troop are having a “knock-knock” game
about the word bomb. Gundina interrupted and suggested that they could ask Bimbi
directly where the location of the bombs is “Bakit hindi nalang ganito, bakit hindi n’yo
nalang tanungin sa bata: Where is the bomb?” (Why not try this way, why not ask the
child: Where is the bomb?) The scene then prolonged the search for the location of the
bomb despite of the fact that they could always ask Bimbi directly.
The family of Benjie is about to eat dinner when they remembered him not being
present to eat with them. Her sisters got carried away and talked about the good deeds of
his brother, somewhat like a eulogy “Sana magkasama na sila ni lolo. Sana pareho na
silang nasa langit. Kahit na sabi nila diba, bawal umakyat ang bakla sa langit?” (I hope he
is with grandfather now. I hope they are both in heaven, even though they say that
homosexuals are not permitted there.) Her mother corrected her and confronted her that
her brother was not yet dead and that he was just away for dinner. Given that the emotion
of her sister exceeded from their topic resulting her to utter those words, the scene
It started when Chua forced Bimbi to tell where the bombs are; then Benjie came
in and rescued Bimbi from him; Bimbi then shouted at Benjie for saying “hoy” (hey) to
Chua because he is a general; Benjie then scolded Bimbi for being hard-headed and
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having no respect to his father. The scene then, resumed with Chua commanding Benjie
not to say those words to Bimbi because he is his son. Benjie interrupted him and said
that he is also his son and continued reciting the lines of Sharon Cuneta on the film
Madrasta (1996) – “I was never your partner, I’m just your wife”; and the commercial “I
lab-uyo!” From Lucky Me Spicy Beef commercial. In the middle of the argument, the
seriousness has been broken by the line and the advertisement he inserted.
When Chua napped while drinking with Benjie, Benjie started to sing the song
Please be careful with my heart which is the theme song of a teleserye with the same
title. He also attempted to kiss Chua acting like the female lead character in the said TV
show. Given that Chua was also the lead character in that show, the scene became
At the mall where Benjie and Bimbi disguised themselves as Miss Minchin and
Sarah (characters from the film Sarah ang Munting Prinsesa), Gundina asked Benjie if
Bimbi was Sarah, and Benjie was Miss Minchin; but Benjie answered her no, and said
she is Mommy Divine, the mother of Sarah Geronimo (a local singer in the country). The
story again became confusing for the reason that it is obvious that he is dressed like Miss
Minchin but he considered himself as the mother of Sarah the singer, and not Sarah from
the film.
When Gundina bugged Benjie to ask where the bomb is, “Tanungin mo na kung
nas’an yung bomba, Benjie.” (Ask him where the bomb is, Benjie) Benjie then asked her
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why she is in a hurry, if he will do that, the story will end fast; “Bakit ka kasi
nagmamadali kapag sinabi n’ya edi tapos na yung pelikula?” (Why are you in hurry? If
he would tell it, the film will end.) This shows that the film could have been ended in a
When Benjie has already figured out what he could do with the bomb, he decided
to leave their house abruptly. As he walked, his mother asked “Oh, san ka ba pupunta?.”
(Where are you going?) Then he answered that he will buy a Christmas tree for his friend
who looks like a snowman, “Bibili po ng Christmas tree para may ka-partner naman itong
occasion which needs a Christmas tree in the story though Benjie familiarized the
appearance of his friend to that of snowman, the injection of Christmas tree and the
snowman was out-of-place since they were talking about where Benjie was heading to,
The second bomb was located and was place inside a briefcase, Benjie danced
like one of the ladies who hold briefcases in the TV Show Deal or No Deal. The
incorporation of the dance from the said TV sow has nothing to do with the detonation of
the bomb.
The Advertisement
In the middle of an intense emotion where the timer of the bomb has only two
minutes left before it explodes, Benjie mimicked the advertisement of ABS-CBN Mobile
“The last two (2) minutes is brought to you by ABS CBN mobile: happy lang, walang
ending!” (Just happy: no ending!). They were supposed to be frightened at this point of
time but Benjie still managed to recite the lines from the said advertisement.
Inappropriate Wardrobe
Benjie wore his military outfit differently on their last encounter with UTO –
UTO (without pants and with gloves). In situations like that, proper gearing is necessary
worn given that is he is still a part of the Military and is obliged to follow its set orders;
The oufit of Benjie on their last encounter with the UTO-UTO Gang
Gundina acted like someone superior to Jan Jaranjan when Bimbi enlightened her
that despite of telling Jan Jaranjan the location of the last bomb, he would still kill them.
Gundina shouted at Jan Jaranan who is supposed to be the man in control, being the
terrorist. Instead, he acted like someone who is very afraid to tell the truth.
At the time when Bimbi and Benjie are in search for the last bomb in the mall,
they found a hole in the ceiling of the mall. Benjie reacted and complained about the film
being long when in fact; the bomb is just on the ceiling, “Ang haba-haba ng movie
andyan lang pala yung bomba!” (The film took so long, yet the bomb was just there!) If
that bomb was found earlier, the story will end shortly.
The first action scene in the film was an encounter between the zombies and the
troop of Benjie. This showed an incorporation of the video game, Plants VS. Zombies.
Benjie and his troop planted seeds that grew as plants and have special powers that kill
the zombies. In reality, there is no such thing as plants that throw magic seeds to kill the
The weapons
In the first sequel, The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin, the characters made use
of fans with ammos as well as headbands with missiles. They also made used of an
umbrella which they use to fly. These are the weapons used by Benjie and his troop on
their missions. These were made by the father of Benjie who is an inventor.
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The parents of Benjie have turned themselves into somebody else, specifically,
his mother into Angel Locsin and his father to Luis Manzano (local celebrity couple).
What has made them transform was the formula which his father has made. Benjie also
used the formula to transform himself into Krissy. Unfortunately, he was unable to get
3.1. The study of postmodern literary theory is not limited to those films which
Although the main character of the subject film is a gay, the theory of gay, lesbian
and queer was not used. Instead, the study revealed the postmodern aspect of the film and
maximizes the characteristics and ideas which the Postmodern Literary Theory offers.
exposing the “small realities” within the situations of the notable characters, whether it is
on their personalities, how they view the world, and/or how they interact with the world.
Postmodernism exposes the status quo of the country in where the literature was made
and put it into the plot. It illustrates the societal problems by giving each character a
problem to solve. The study of postmodernism tackles everything that all literary theories
may tackle.
95
of the international films. One reason is because there are few researchers who study
local literature, thus, the essence of the local films were not being highlighted. Same with
the use of the theory postmodernism; because it is wide and hard to understand, few
researchers use it as their tool of interpretation. Given these circumstances, this study
which made use of the theory postmodernism and a local film as its subject, will
Chapter 5
This study aimed to analyze the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014)
using the Theory of postmodernism. Specifically, it sought to describe the film The
Language as Reality, Questioning Universal Truth and Power Struggle; To determine the
Black humor, Faction, Maximalism and Magic realism; and To determine the
implications of the study on the use of Postmodern Literary Theory. Furthermore, the
Summary of Findings
1. To describe the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014) by applying the
Although the film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin used Filipino language as its
medium of communication, the researchers focused on the usage of the English language
on the dialogues of the notable characters, their gestures, and their object use and how
these reflect their personalities and attitude towards other characters and towards life.
97
The Pink Plane. Given the time period in which the subject film was created,
color pink has already been associated by the society to femininity. As to the nature of
the job of the military, having such color will only expose them to the public which also
connotes the exposure of homosexuality to the society. This indicates that Benjie is
confident enough with his gender preference as well as being a member of the military.
The use of bonjour (good day) in exchange for the term bunggo (crash) is a way for the
lead character to make his situation subtler and lighter to make it easier for him to solve
the problems at hand. As Benjie welcomes Colonel Dickens in his life, it exposes how
exaggerated gestures, on the other hand, reflects Benjie being a dancer and how well he
could express himself through words as well as his body movements. As he congratulates
himself, it only shows how he disregard the help of others on his successes, not even the
help of his father. However, there are instances where he shows how he prioritizes his
family for they are the first to accept him more than the society. Even the recognition of
the president was rejected by Benjie wherein he came late to the actual event and asked
the president of his last words to close the program. This just shows how Benjie
dismisses the people whom disgraced him in the start of his career. As the representation
of the people, the president has been the subject of the revenge. Benjie has been doing
everything for his grandfather right from the start, but then, as he rises up, Benjie also
learned to disregard his grandfather as his grandfather confronted him for being late. As a
member of the military, Benjie was supposed to follow the orders of his seniors as a sign
of respect. However, he accepted the orders with irritation because he does not want to
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step back, he wants to continue his step forward. The way Benjie approached Bimbi,
nonetheless, shows how he could relate to other people using different languages. Even
the shift from Chucky to Chuckie has been effective to build rapport with Bimbi. Also,
the use of ligtas (save) and talo (defeat) has been an excellent substitute to connect to
Bimbi as a minor. Despite of his resistance to General Chua, the father of Bimbi, Benjie
still built a trusting image of Chua to Bimbi because Benjie wants to save the Philippines
from the bomb threats disregarding his personal issues and illustrating how he was loved
by his father and grandfather. As he encounters Jan Jaranjan and has been approached
with a “hey, bakla”, Benjie has been insulted not by the word bakla (gay) but by the word
“hey” because he was proud enough to be a gay but he is unhappy because he was still a
member of the military and Jan Jaranjan did not recognize that.
leader, Chua is characterized as serious and firm. Given to this, Benjie has thought that
what Chua meant should strictly be imposed, thus, taking it seriously. Also, Chua has
been used to setting the rules and be followed. As he has been disregarded by the
president and Benjie, he felt insulted and disrespected. Being the commander, he wants
everyone to follow his orders. He felt that the authority must be felt and that Benjie
Bimbi
highly influenced by mass media, given the era where he belongs. He is exposed to the
shows where gays are associated with horses. Also, Bimbi displayed how he trusted his
99
mother, alone. Despite of Chua being his father, given that he grew up with his mother
alone, he does not see Chua or anyone else as somebody to be trusted and that the only he
could express his anger towards his father is only through words.
Gundina
The dialogues of Gundina reveals her level of education and her secret love to
General where in some scenes, she acted as if the wife of the general. Her dialogues, “Hi,
yaya. Yaya!” indicates how she accepted her position in the house. Her incorrect
pronunciation the the word “bomb” as well as her reconsideration of the word “good
luck” as a single word illustrates that she is undereducated but she tries to fit in in the
situations which concern the Chuas. However, in an instance, she uses her position as the
caretaker of the children of the general wherein she confronted the general for having
little time with his children. This shows how Gundina wanted to fix the problem within
the family but it turned out worst because she was fired for nagging too much.
Jan Jaranjan
Jan Jaranjan is the leader of the terrorist organization, UTO – UTO. Physically,
his body type is not of a dancer, for his built is intact and muscular. There were also
instances in the film wherein his fondness of working out was shown. Though, there were
scenes where Jan Jaranjan danced with Benjie (on their first encounter), it was not a
direct way of dancing, they were somehow dancing but they were moving to fight. Jan
He does not see himself as a dancer because he is not interested in such. Even as a
terrorist, Jan Jaranjan carries a dog rather than a gun during the hostage-taking and let his
100
men do the shooting. This shows how Jan Jaranjan just want to have the four (4) notable
actually attempts to define the situation in ways that are to one’s benefit. This idea
questions the standards which are practiced by most people but are broken by the
characters in the story. Instances of this ideas are evident which are as follows:
Benjie
Though Benjie is a gay, who are known to act like women, he still joined the
military which is known to require strong physical abilities to the aspiring soldiers. In the
military, it is a must to follow the orders especially of the seniors. But in the case of
Benjie and Chua, he always disobeys the rules of the general and does his own will.
Instances of Benjie disobeying Chua includes: the first encounter with the UTO-UTO,
refusing to be the body guard of Bimbi, and not telling where the bombs are located
despite of knowing. Benjie and Jan Jaranjan were also questioned on their friendship
Chua
In the Philippine context, family comes first above all things. But to Chua, his
responsibility to his family especially as a father of Bimbi, is not evident in the film since
he always prioritizes his profession. Evidences of this instance is when Krissy called him
for help and at their conversation, reminisce their past where Chua left them for his
profession too; and Chua hurting Bimbi to tell him the locations of the bombs.
Gundina
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Gundina being the maid exceeds her limitations when she acted like the wife of
Chua and the mother of his children. Maids are known to follow the orders of their
bosses. But in the case of Gundina, she broke the standard of the assumptions of what
maids are. Instances of the said idea include demanding Chua to explain about Bimbi and
Gundina as a hostage of Jan Jaranjan also broke the assumption of hostages being afraid
to their abductors. When she knew that Jan Jaranjan is lying, she walked in front of him
Jan Jaranjan
The attributes of the UTO-UTO broke the standards of the terrorists who are
perceived as harmful. Jan Jaranjan being one of them was the perfect epitome of this
idea. Their troop does not look like gangsters. Instead, they maintain their looks through
workouts. Also, when Jan Jaranjan abducted the children of Chua and Gundina wherein
Gundina nagged at him for not telling the truth about killing them despite of Bimbi
Power Struggle refers to the search for our own position in a society, seeking
social validation for our views and behaviors. All our notions of what is “proper,”
“universal,” “natural,” or “true” are really interpretations that we are seeking to convince
ourselves and others are absolute—all to earn or maintain our power, position, and
privilege. The film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014) found evidences of this idea
The Philippine Army and the UTO-UTO have their own dispositions and goals.
Because of these differences, the groups fought against each other to defend their
principles and wants. One (Philippine Army) protects the country from harm, and the
other (UTO-UTO) brings harm to the country. Their fight revolved around the search for
the bombs.
The disobedience of Benjie towards Chua is evident in the film resulting them to
fight most of the time. One of these instances was when Chua ordered Benjie to stay at
the command center but Benjie did not follow the order of Chua and still continued to
participate in the encounter with the UTO-UTO. Another was when they argued about
Chua forcing Bimbi to tell him where the bombs are located and Benjie stopped him.
Lastly, when they both fought verbally in terms of disciplining Bimbi and the way Chua
Evidences of Benjie and Bimbi fighting because of their beliefs are also visible in
the film. These were shown when Benjie got impatient with Bimbi and forced him to tell
Arguments of Gundina and Benjie in different scenes are highly manifested. First
is when Gundina interrupted the troop of Benjie on their guessing game about the word
bomb and suggested to directly ask Bimbi where the locations of the bombs are. Benjie,
being irritated, corrected Gundina on her pronunciation. Another is when Benjie pushed
away Gundina because she is interrupting his talk with Bimbi. Gundina insisted to stay
103
but Benjie did not grant her. Lastly, when they are out to take Bimbi to the mall and
Gundina kept on reminding Benjie the status of the security of Bimbi since there were a
lot of people there; Benjie then said to her that he knows what he is doing.
The conflict between Gundina and Chua were all about Chua having another child
and how Chua is as a father. Since Gundina is the caretaker of the household, she cares
about the children of Chua and that made her argue with him. Also, she secretly “likes”
2.1 Pastiche;
2.2 Intertextuality;
2.3 Irony;
2.5 Faction;
2.1. Pastiche
artist, or period. The film pasted the elements of the setting and plot (conflict) of the
international film Warm Bodies 2013 where the lead character, who is a zombie, lived in
an abandoned airport together with the other infected zombies in their region. The game
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Plants VS. Zombies was also acknowledged in the film. The elements of plants fighting
against the zombies are adopted by the subject film from the video game. The subject
film adopted the characteristics of plants as the protector and zombies as the conquerors.
Another is the teleserye Please Be Careful with My Heart wherein the subject film pasted
the characters of the teleserye and re-conceptualized a whole new characterization of the
lead characters especially the concept of the maid which turned out to be a cosplayer
dressed in a maid costume. Also, the theme song of the said teleserye was used in the
subject film. However the lead character sang the song himself rather than using it as a
background music. The use of the bagua and the scream acknowledges another local
horror film – Feng Shui. The subject film adopted the horrifying effect done by the bagua
to anyone who sees it but did not highlight its horrifying effect. The use of a briefcase
and a dance number also indicated the presence of a TV game show, Deal or No Deal.
2.2. Intertextuality
Intertextuality refers to the literal and effective presence in a text of another text.
Benjie and Bimby mimicked the images portrayed by the characters of Miss Minchin and
Sarah. Benjie even mentioned the lines of Miss Minchin ...ikukulong kita sa chimineya...
not to Sarah but to Gundina. These characters are from the film, Sarah ang Munting
Prinsesa. Another was when Benjie brought out his sentiments, he arrived to the famous
line of Sharon Cuneta in her film, Madrasta (1996), “I was never your partner. I’m just
your wife.” Benjie also recited the famous catch phrase of the endorsement of Sharon
Cuneta, I Lab-uyo! (Lucky Me Spicy Beef.) In one scene, as the timer strike at its last two
(2) minutes, Benjie demonstrated the catch phrase of ABS-CBN mobile as he faces the
105
camera, The last two (2) minutes is brought to you by ABS-CBN Mobile: happy lang,
walang ending! The subject film made use and directly state the company and/or the
product it offers. Another was the opening chant for the TV show Its Showtime which is
“What’s up madlang people!” which is the exact chant used by the hosts of the show.
2.3. Irony
are found in some scenes in the film. (1) When the friend of Benjie at getting down from
the plane and complaining about the plane being tight wherein it was actually his body
which made the path tight. (2) Another is when Colonel Dickens who asked for help to
stop the spread of virus but he was already infected. (3) Then, a zombie rejected the offer
of one of the members of the troop of Benjie for the reason that he has too much
cholesterol content. (4) Also, Benjie assumed to be a part of the first encounter with Chua
but he was stopped by Chua. (5) When Benjie saved everyone from the bomb but lost his
personal bodyguard of a child. (6) Then, Benjie was having a drink with Chua, poured his
glass with alcohol but drank from the bottle. (7) Also, at the last encounter of Benjie with
Jan Jaranjan, he was belittled because of being gay, who are known to be weak, but at the
end, Benjie defeated him. (8) Lastly, the favor of Benjie to Chua to kiss him on the lips
which did not happen bacause of the interruption of Bimbi and at the end, Benjie kissed
Bimbi, instead.
elements with comical ones that underscore the senselessness or futility of life. Instances
of the said characteristic are evident in some of the scenes in the film. (1) First is the life
and death situation which was made hilarious when the zombie in France refused to eat
one of the members of the troop because of his obesity. Another is when Benjie was
given a special award in the Malacañang Palace but was late and made his response
hilarious. (2) Also, when Benjie and Chua made fun of their conversation about the
terrorists that Chua follow these people on social media. Then, at the funeral of the
grandfather of Benjie, Benjie chose the handsome guys and over the not-so-handsome
guys to catch him of his fall. (3) The meeting about the terrorist attack was destructed
because of the mistaken pictures of famous celebrities who were assumed to be the
terrorists. (4) Then, General Chua supervised Benjie where his actions were controlled.
But, Benjie took it seriously and stopped breathing when Chua told him to hold his
breath. (5) Also, while Benjie and Jan Jaranjan were fighting physically; they fought as
if dancing which made it humorous. (6) Another is when Darla was about to die but
Benjie made fun of him about being bloated because he ate Bimbi. (7) The bagua was
also incorporated in the film to identify the true Bimbi wherein the basis was through his
scream. (8) Lastly, instances of incorporating different shows and commercials in some
serious matter in the film humorized the scenes. These includes, the line of Sharon
Cuneta in the film Madrasta, Deal or no Deal, the commercial about the ABS-CBN
Mobile and the Sarah, Ang Munting Prinsesa where Benjie and Bimbi disguised as the
2.5. Faction
107
The subject film displays notable similarities from the attacks in the year 2000
and 2002. (1) The presence of bomb as the instrument of terror, (2) group of terrorists
which planted the said bomb/s, and (3) the motivation was to own a specific place, a state
of their own. These similarities are evident on the two (2) bomb incidents that has
happened in the country. However, there are differences with the quantity of bombs, the
number of groups involved in the bombing, as well as the scope of the territories they
2.6. Maximalism
manifested the evidence of maximalism being described as disorganized (1) when Benjie
used the Filipino word bunggo as a replacement to the French language Bonjour. (2)
Benjie also asked the reporter if he is the father of Kokey based from his tone of voice.
(3) Then Benjie used the word gadget though it is inappropriate to be used. (4) Benjie
also discriminated the not-so-handsome guys over the hadsome guys. (5) Then, the
unrelated usage of Bagua in their encounter in determining the true Bimbi. (6) Benjie also
based the capability of Gundina based from her physical figure. (7) When Benjie acted
like the lead female character in the TV show Please Be Careful With My Heart
attempting to kiss Chua who is also the lead male character in that TV show making the
story rumbled for their characters in the film are different from the said TV show. (8)
Gundina that he is Miss Minchin. (9) Then, Benjie is about to go to locate the bombs but
he told his mother that he will be buying a Christmas tree to pair his snowman friend.
108
(10) Lastly, Benjie wore an inappropriate dress code which is not properly geared on
their encounter to the terrorists. The other characteristic of Maximalism being evident in
the film is the emotional disconnection of action of the characters in the film. (11) One of
these is the dance of Benjie and Jan Jaranjan while they are angry with each other
exchanging their punches and kicks. (10) Benjie and Jan Jaranjan also exchanged their
social media accounts though enemies. (11) Gundina also performed an emotional
disconnection to Chua when he introduced Bimbi as his son where she acted like a wife
asking Chua for an explanation for that matter. (12) Another is when the sisters of Benjie
got carried away at their family dinner treating his brother as dead though they are just
talking about him being absent at their meals together. (13) Benjie also incorporated
famous scenes from a commercial and TV show at the middle of difficult situations about
the bomb. (14) Lastly, Gundina nagged at Jan Jaranjan though a hostage must be the one
to be afraid to the terrorist. (15) The last characteristic of Maximalism is prolonging the
story though it can be short. (16) One manifestation of this characteristic is the celebrity
pictures which are given to Chua though he needs the pictures of the terrorists. (17)
Another is when the grandfather of Benjie sacrificed himself to save Benjie by the flying
umbrella though he has still a time to runaway from bomb. (18) If also Bimbi was honest
that he can talk in English, Benjie and his friend would not have a hard time guessing the
meaning of his uttered language. (19) Benjie and his friends also asked Bimbi in their
guessing game about the bomb but Gundina interrupted them by a direct question where
the bomb is. (20) Lastly is the easy-to-find location of the last bomb. If it was found
Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic
fiction. The film made used of these elements in some of its scenes. (1) First is the
planting of the seeds and grew rapidly which turned to be harmful to zombies. (2) Then
the usage of magical fans, crown as a replacement to guns and the flying umbrella that
can help to fly. (3) Lastly, instance of the said characteristic is the turning of the parents
of Benjie into a famous celebrity couple, Luis Manzano and Angel Locsin, perfectly
through the use of a special formula made by his father. Benjie also used the said formula
to imitate the mother of Bimbi for Bimbi to tell the location of the bomb.
Theory.
The study of postmodern literary theory is not limited to those films which are
highly magical and fairytale-like. Postmodern literary theory provides answers to the
Conclusions
1. The film The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin (2014) manifested the ideas and
2. Language acts as the determiner of the reality of the characters. Also, it reveals
the personalities and perceptions of the characters through the words they used on
3. The universal truths or the norms in the Philippine context, and the prejudices set
by the society, were illustrated in the subject film where it tries to vary these to
4. The struggle between characters were not directly demonstrated into fights, rather,
they were demonstrated through arguments which were made into jokes, leaving
them unresolved.
characteristics which are highly evident in the film are Black Humor and
Maximalism. Since the subject film is comedic, it transforms even the serious
events into comedy as well as to relate out-of-place topics in scenes to make them
funny.
6. Most of the previous literary works acknowledged in the film are from the media.
Works like films, advertisements, and TV shows were incorporated, rather than
written literatures.
Recommendations
1. The instructors of literature should use other literary forms such as films,
theories and not conform to the same literary theory throughout their learning
procedure. There are newly developed theories which are more suited for the
3. The future researchers should illustrate and discuss the totality of every literary
theory which they will use as their instrument to provide other researchers full
knowledge and guide about these theories to further strengthen their study.
4. The film critiques should use different theories applied to a particular literary
work to provide their readers the diversity or even the ambiguity of that particular
5. The viewers should watch the film they are viewing thoroughly and try to be a
commercials, etc., have imbedded values and exposed social issues in which the
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
Benjamin "Benjie" Santos VIII (Vice Ganda) comes from a long line of warriors
and soldiers. His grandfather, Benjamin Santos VI (Eddie Garcia), expects him to be in
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the army and to be like his ancestors who fought every battle in the country. He lives with
his parents and two sisters named Jesamine (Angelie Urquico) and Anjamin (Abby
Bautista). His father, Benjamin Santos VII (Jimmy Santos), gave up being a military
soldier to be what he wants to be, a scientist and an inventor. Benjie's grandfather did not
agree with his decision, so they were forced to leave his grandfather's house and to never
come back. They now live in a cramped house, where they started a new life. His father,
as expected, followed what makes him happy. He invented gadgets and unique deadly
weapons. Some examples are the Fart-gun, or the Utot-gun in Tagalog, a fan that shoots
A few years later they were invited to his grandfather's 75th birthday by a relative.
His grandfather finds out Benjie is gay. They were asked to leave and to never show their
of his ailing father, who was said to have high blood pressure and diabetes. After a long
time training, Benjie's group was to be dissolved for being not good enough. His group
decides to train at night, and show their improvement in the morning. A rival group,
incensed with constantly losing to Benjie's group during training, sought to reveal
Benjie's sexuality by getting Benjie drunk and filming a sex video of him.
The following morning, the High-General calls Benjie because of the video, and
makes him leave the army. When Benjamin was about to leave, his friends joined him
saying, "Hindi kami masaya kung wala ka!" ("We are not happy without you!"). They left
the army, and while travelling through a wooded area, they heard some trucks and cars
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moving. They wake up, and followed the cars, resulting in them discovering the location
They went back to the army, and told the High-General about what they saw, but
he wouldn't believe them. They believed the real enemy base was in Tanay, based on the
army's gathered information and decided to attack there instead. While the army searched
for enemy forces at the Tanay base, they were ambushed by hundreds of terrorists.
Meanwhile, Benjie's group returns to the enemy's real base, where they saw the terrorist's
trucks with the captured forces, including Benjie's grandfather and Brandon Estolas
(Derek Ramsay)—the group's former commander in the army and Benjie's love-interest.
They then make plans to rescue their allies by dressing up as girls to trick the enemy
guards into letting them inside their base. Once inside, the group kills many people with
As they enter the base, the group split up in different ways. When one of the
terrorists spots what he thought was Benjie hiding in a metal barrel, he then tells Abe
Sayyep (named after the Abu Sayyaf), the squadron commander, about what he saw. Abe
Sayyep pulls out the wig Benjie put in the barrel, only to find out it was some sort of
trickery. Benjie finds his grandfather, Brandon, and the other generals. Benjie's
grandfather thanks him and asks for forgiveness for treating him so badly. Benjie is then
reunited with his group, where Abe Sayyep appears and shoots Benjie's grandfather.
He sees himself in heaven, and sees his great-grandfathers, who tell him that he did very
well and it is not yet the time for him to die. He is soon revived, and the group returns
Private Benjamin (Vice Ganda) has become the Philippines' amazing soldier and a
worldwide sensation by saving the world from a zombie outbreak. Inevitably, he rises
from the ranks and in no time becomes the incredible, unbeatable, and unreachable
soldier and promoted to Colonel. To prepare him better, Benjamin is assigned under a
new General, Wilson Chua (Richard Yap). However, Private Benjamin committed a big
mistake. Benjamin is about to be dismissed from service when General Wilson Chua
saves him by giving him a mission – to be the private security of a brat kid Bimbee
(Bimby Yap) who holds the key to locating the remaining bombs and saving the country.
As he watches over Bimbee, Benjamin finds himself clashing with Misty (Rhed
Bustamante), General Chua's daughter, and the meddlesome housemaid Gundina (Alex
Gonzaga). However, as he gets to know Bimbee more, he learns that Bimbee is a kid
deprived of love from family – something that he has ignored in his quest to be on top
again. A terrorists led by Jan Jaranjan (Tom Rodriguez) threatens the government to
detonate the bomb hidden in a mall. After searching the last bomb they will able to stop it
APPENDIX B
CURRICULUM VITAE
RHOA P. BUSTOS
Blk.6, Brgy. Ungot, Tarlac City
Contact No. (0946) 3075-849
E-mail Address: [email protected]
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
WORK EXPERIENCES
Tarlac State University – College of Arts and Social Sciences – English Department
Romulo Blvd. San Vicente, Tarlac City
Student Teacher
(January 2016 – May 2016)
AFFILIATION
Linguistics Society
President
(2015-2016)
SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
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Understanding Foreign Culture for Better Future at Clark Institute of the Philippines,
INC, Angeles City (November 7, 2015)
Project Dialogue at Tarlac State University Alumni Center (December 19, 2015)
Labor Education for Graduating Student (LEGS) at Tarlac State University Hostel
Rooftop (March 31, 2016)
PERSONAL INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
WORK EXPERIENCESS
AFFILIATION
Linguistics Society
(2015-2016)
SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
Understanding Foreign Culture for Better Future at Clark Institute of the Philippines,
INC, Angeles City (November 7, 2015)
Project Dialogue at Tarlac State University Alumni Center (December 19, 2015)
125
Labor Education for Graduating Student (LEGS) at Tarlac State University Hostel
Rooftop (March 31, 2016)
PERSONAL INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
WORK EXPERIENCES
OnlineCubicle
Korea
ESL Tutor
(June 2015- August 2015)
AFFILIATION
Linguistics Society
Vice President
(2015-2016)
SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
127
Understanding Foreign Culture for Better Future at Clark Institute of the Philippines,
INC, Angeles City (November 7, 2015)
Project Dialogue at Tarlac State University Alumni Center (December 19, 2015)
Labor Education for Graduating Student (LEGS) at Tarlac State University Hostel
Rooftop (March 31, 2016)