Who We Become

This was an amazing film made during COVID and featured the many voices, growing up dared not speak. I appreciate the raw honesty and the genuine authenticity of the real-life characters and watching them as they dissect and grow, coming of age, coming of Asian, coming of their identities. A luxury many of us did not have before social media. The interesting view is that this conversation is pivotal in a renaissance of self care, but also makes one feel some insight into lost opportunities in conversations one should of had growing up. Kapwa means community, but for 1st and 2nd generation Filipinos, these were lonely days as a young adult. Lonely in the sense that perhaps it is the evolution of a new kind of community, that was longed for growing up - that I see in this generation, embraced and in a way entitled - but gives me hope that it is never too late to heal from the trauma of not having Kapwa growing up.

The documentary provided a refreshing perspective by showcasing diverse Asian Americans across generations, highlighting their distinct viewpoints. I observed parallels in social and political dynamics reminiscent of those in the Hispanic community. I'd say the documentary served as a powerful reminder of the shared human experiences that transcend cultural boundaries, leaving viewers with a sense of unity and understanding.

It also acts as a catalyst for continued dialogue, urging viewers to engage in conversations that delve deeper into the complexities of racial issues, generational shifts, and societal dynamics.

I'm genuinely concerned why this was ever considered for doing a documentary on. 3 Filipinas living in Texas whose politics evolve while connecting with family during the pandemic.

In the trailer you'll see Jenah talking to her father about being an activist. He expresses he thinks it's dangerous and that she should be more concerned with her own life instead of tackling whole world issues. Now I will say that worldly issues are important, but she Mm-hmm'd his genuine concern and says "The reason that I want to do it is because that is part of my future. If nothing changes, I don't know, how can I live with that?". So what she's saying is she doesn't want to live in a world that doesn't work the way she wants it to work, sounds pretty egotistical.

Her father then tells her to pray, for things to work out, and she proceeds to question him if she was sent by God to be an activist. He fumbles with his words but tries to express that things will work out according to God's will, aka faith. She then laughed at him for not being able to explain himself properly. Also, I was always taught that charity starts at home, if you can't build things charitably on a small scale that helps the immediate world around you, then you more than likely aren't prepared to tackle worldwide issues.

It's listed with these tags: Intimate Social and Cultural Fight the system Politics

To summarize it's a documentary about people that would rather force others to change rather than work on changing/growing themselves. Say hello to all the Peter Pan's living in Never Never land...