Alyzza Yzzabel N.

Fatalla
12-STEM Quisumbing

ISKA
A Movie Review.

Iska is a Filipino independent film directed by Theodore Boborol in 2019. The impact of
poverty and a woman’s experiences in society are highlighted in the film and the movie’s
realistic approach mirrors the struggles that people, particularly women and those in the
marginalized sector, have as they attempt to play the various roles that society expects them
to.

Theodore Boborol, the director of Iska, said that the story was based on the life of his
housekeeper, hence it turned out to be accurate. 1 Although the identity of Iska in real life
remained unknown, the film’s director claimed to have met her while he was still a student at
the University of the Philippines. Boborol did not truly care about people’s true life stories even
when he was assigned to be a story editor of Pinoy Big Brother, specifically “teleserye ng tunay
na buhay” due to his upbringing, media exposure, and media person mindset. He asked his
housekeeper how she was during lunch and she just broke down. She explained to the director
what was going on in her life and even requested financial assistance. Theodore found it to be a
powerful experience, which gave him the idea to share her narrative with the general
audience.

Everyone, especially those in the underprivileged sector, may connect to the film ‘Iska’.
In the daily lives and experiences of Filipinos, it retains the worth of a typical individual in
society. Iska was able to engage not just art patrons but ordinary people on a range of social
topics, from gender norms to poverty.

Iska, played by Ruby Ruiz, is a photocopy operator in University of the Philippines

Diliman and takes side jobs in order to earn more money. She lives in slums with her
inebriated husband, Joven, and her beloved 10-year-old grandson, Dongdong. Iska’s daughter
left her son and passed all the responsibilities to her mother. She leaves Dongdong to her
neighbor as she works the whole week, being a housekeeper of a professor at U.P Diliman on
weekends. Her drunkard husband once arrived home drunk while Dongdong and she were
sleeping. Pulling down his underwear and attempting to have an intercourse despite Iska
adamantly stating that she does not want to. It was revealed in the movie’s midway that Joven,
in addition to being an alcoholic, also spends his pennies and even steals money from Iska to
provide for his mistress instead of helping Iska on seeking medication for their grandson.

The turning point of the movie is when Iska once passed out while cleaning the
professor’s home after his friends had left. With that, Iska had been diagnosed with
hypertension and felt it necessary for her to transfer her grandson to a facility due to
Dongdong’s rising tantrums. She put forth a lot of effort to pay for her grandson’s move to a
facility in Alabang. Another conflict started when it became known to the media and authorities
that someone in the area had locked their child inside their house. One of Iska’s neighbors
pointed to their home when asked where that family was located and believed Dongdong was
the one being mistreated. They took Dongdong away from Iska but then subsequently returned
him when the facility claimed that Dongdong frequently had tantrums and even hurt the other
children in the facility. The movie ends when Iska hurried home, her spouse had long left and
been on no-contact terms. The moment she unlocks the door, the camera pans to the filthy
living room and the piled-up dishes. The camera goes up to the sleeping area where Dongdong
is seen naked next to unfinished platters— chained up, just as her neighbors had rumored.

The movie highlights poverty as Iska’s situation being the portrayer of it. Teenage
pregnancy was the first topic that the movie addressed. Due to her (Iska’s daughter) early
pregnancy, she was forced to abandon her child and transfer all of her responsibilities to Iska.
In 2022, there were 5.4 percent of women aging from 15 to 19 years old who have been
pregnant in the Philippines.2 In certain settings where impoverishment is evident, the main
driver of teenage pregnancy is the lack of education and financial support branching out to the
mindset that the needs can only be solved by having a partner of their own at such a young
age.3 The second issue is the incapacity of Iska to properly treat Dongdong because of a lack of
income. In the Philippines, the rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 1 out of 500 Filipinos
which further translates to 140,000 Filipinos out of 70 million population. Of those cases, only
10 percent are diagnosed and only 5 percent are given proper intervention. In addition to the
daily costs they must pay for, Iska works extremely hard to fund her grandson’s medication.
13.2 percent of Filipino households live in poverty as of March 2023 4 which reflects the
experiences of an individual who has many plans for their loved ones, in Iska’s case, the
medication of Dongdong, but are unable to carry them out because of a lack of financial
support. When the authorities took Dongdong away from Iska without conducting further
investigation, showing an imbalance and injustice in society where those in positions of power
are allowed to act however they please, the oppression increased because although it is given
that Iska has an unconditional love and clear intentions for Dongdong, she is unable to do the
utmost of her part to stop it due to being financially incapacitated to do so. The movie
bombards its viewers plenteous societal topics rooted from poverty in which almost everyone
can catch an emotion especially those who might be experiencing the same.

Throughout the movie, there was also oppression to women and the capability of
women to stand up for life. Particularly in the part where Joven, Iska’s husband, forcefully
engaged in sexual activity with her despite her firmly saying no. One in 20 girls and women
(15-49 years old) in the Philippines have suffered sexual violence, making it one of the most
pervasive issues of the country.5 Even though that is the case, Iska resolutely defended herself
and her grandchild, shattering the notion that women are weak and soft all the time.

Overall, in an effort to show the typical lives of regular people, the movie tackles a
number of social issues, such as poverty and women’s role in society. The film has the power to
convey the sobering truth that some lives as Iska does and that in their perspective, there is not
always light at the end of the tunnel. Astounding as it is, Iska is a movie that conveys a powerful
message about the outside forces that have an impact on lives of the people; however, the said
silver lining of the film turned out to be one of its flaws as the scenes are not cohesive, a strong
foundation of emotions and storyline cannot be established.

Instead of focusing on nurturing emotions and condensing the movie’s scope for an
even more satisfying conclusion, the film’s creator concentrated more on all Iska had to feel
and the problems that she had to accumulate, disabling the connection to its audience as the
movie serves disjointed scenes. It is difficult to view this film as an example of art because it
just revolves on issues branched out from poverty, especially since there is no concluding
resolution. Instead, one may believe that this is just an instance of exploitation. Furthermore, it
is well known that the movie’s inspiration came from real events, making it difficult to pretend
that the director did not profit from someone else’s despondency. Perhaps it would be better, if
not one of the best independent films, if there was also an emphasis on fixing the accumulation
of society issues in order to share with the audience the value of life through its underlying
message rather than simply barrage them with various issues. Nevertheless, Iska was an eye-
opener and its story is a brilliant method to show its audience what life is really like, especially
for someone who has an unwavering love but discovers that love is not enough to provide
completely for the needs of their loved ones.

Vinz Lamorena. (2019). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.alike.com.ph/journals/view/iska-draws-the-resilience-of-a-

woman-from-reality-to-the-reels-424

Philippines counts cost of teenage pregnancies. (2023). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from
https://www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/2023/02/21/505873/philippines-counts-cost-of-teenage-pregnancies

Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2019). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from
https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/index.htm

Mangar Mangahas. (2023). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://opinion.inquirer.net/161461/periodically-blind-to-poverty

Senate Government. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/48294204!.pdf