Heneral Luna

We haven’t been to the cinema in ages. My son Awit remembers Transformers 3 as the last movie he saw on the big screen and that was in 2011. But our family of three had a movie date last Wednesday. It was an impromptu family outing. I came home early on that day and while checking my social network feed, I read that the film Heneral Luna was starting to be pulled out from theaters.

We then decided to watch the movie that evening not waiting for the weekend because we were afraid we might not be able to catch it anymore. My husband and I were glad to find out that we could take our 13-year-old son to watch the film since it was rated R13. When we bought the ticket and upon entering the theater, Awit was quizzed with these questions: “Kelan ka pinanganak?” “Anong year?” The teller and the usher really made sure he was indeed 13.

History is one of Awit’s favorite subjects that’s why we felt it was imperative for him to watch the film. He is familiar with the main characters of the Philippine revolution as we have already discussed this subject when he was in elementary. But like me, we do not know much about Antonio Luna aside from the fact that he was Juan Luna’s younger brother and that he was a general who fought during the Philippine-American War.

Although I was always attentive to my history teachers’ lectures in both elementary and high school, I hardly remember our class discussing in details Antonio Luna’s life as well as his tragic death. Of course, he is a recognizable figure in our history because of his moustachioed face.

I am not a film critic so I am writing about what I personally thought about the film as well as discuss Heneral Luna as an aid in teaching history and film appreciation to my son.

Undoubtedly, Heneral Luna is John Arcilla’s movie. He owned the character he played. His Luna is very human. He is crazy, passionate, temperamental, eccentric, and even funny. One of Awit’s favorite scenes in the movie also happens to be a...