liway

Liway, a true story film set in the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship about a young mother who uses story-telling to protect her child from the reality of growing up in a prison and the difficult life she endured. It was told from the child's perspective and it showed how scary it was during that time, how unfair and how unjust the era was. The movie showed many hardships of growing up in a prison during the Marcos dictatorship era as rebellious people. 

The main character, Dakip is played by the actor Kenken Nuyad. The lead character, Liway or Day, who is also Dakip’s mother, is played by Glazia De Castro. 

The director of this film would be the real life Kip Oebanda, originally known as Dakip, who's name means captured. His mother named him that due to having been captured while Pregnant with him, though when he got Baptised in the future, that's when his parents agreed to change his name.

The movie has won many awards and nominations, such as Indie Movie of the year, and Best Picture of the year in 2019. 

Despite the main character being a male, the character Liway truly drives the plot forward, we are seeing her story through what the main character is being told. Liway was a rebel leader, a mother, and a strong woman who had to take care of her son in a prison. She is the main reason why I wanted to choose this film.

From her backstory she was a caring person towards her family and many others even strangers she didn't know well, she wanted to help many. She wanted to teach young people about the things that weren't being shown to the rest of the world, and even after being impregnated she wanted to continue her rebellion against the Marshall law.

She is a strong woman, and truly admirable. She didn't let anything stop her, whether it was being with a child or being in prison. Her morals still stood strong. Liway could be an inspiration to not just young women but even older women, and women who are mother’s. They can all relate or be inspired, especially how even after being captured all she wanted was to keep her child's innocence.

Liway is not the only woman who is strong in the film though, there are plenty of mothers, young ladies, and children in the film who have seen and gone through so much. There was a woman who lost her child and wasn't there for his last moments, only to see the body and didn't have enough time to grieve either, despite that she was there until they were set free.

There was also a young girl, whose parents got shot in front of her, with delicate care from the other ladies around, they would have her make it through the imprisonment as well.

Feminism means the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. When analysing the film neither sexes get any equality due to the Marshall law which allows the abuse of power of the military. The lack of quality in all aspects are very prominent in the prison the characters stay in for most of the film. 

A few examples to name is when they would have to spend most of their time doing work without payment and in not the best environment. Also the fact that you would be locked up for expressing what you think is right and trying to speak against the wrong. The reasons why they were put inside the prison were unjust, unfair, but that is what the Marshall law is. 

The film also shows various issues that some women still face today, such as being expected to enjoy unasked for comments like catcalling, or being reduced to being a just mother. It was shown in the first few minutes of the movie where while Liway was trying to feed her son, Dakip, when a fellow prisoner wouldn't stop staring at her weirdly, and after confronting this she would be given compliments on her body. Later in the film when talking about Liway’s backstory and when she got captured, the people would capitalise on the fact she was mother to show how merciful they are and how kind. 

There would be many instances where women in the film would have such tragic scenes, whether it was shown on screen or not.

In one part of the film, the two genders would have to be separated, no matter if they were a child or an adult. Liway would have to face being away from her son, only her husband there to look after. As a mother this is unfair, to have him so far yet so close could only be so hard for her. 

The Marshall law made life difficult for not just women but for everyone. While the Marshall law was no longer in place by the time the movie was released, it helped bring insights from a retelling of a true story, a story that shows bravery of this one woman and how she lived her life till she was finally set free. 

Equally as important of everything I’ve discussed, there was this scene in the film with Dakip giving a speech to other rebels of his first time outside. He found a mannequin and thought it was a genuine person, thinking people were just quiet and still outside of the prison. I find this important because that mannequin can be a representative of how the prisoners were, forced to be quiet, shoved away so the truth wouldn't let out. That scene gave major significance to how it must've felt being under the Marshall law where if you spoke up against the Marcos’ family you could face brutal consequences, you had to keep everything to yourself, and just hope that you will make it with the brutality that still went around despite your innocence.

The movie has many touching scenes, but that is my favourite. It would conclude my essay.