Letters Archives - Page 2 of 19

Apr222021 No Comments

Itlog: The Reality of Being Responsible

By ABIGAIL M. ADRIATICO AT A YOUNG AGE, a child is introduced to the concept of responsibility by their parents or guardians. While it can be taught in various ways, the lesson they wish to impart holds great importance to children as they grow up and enter the real world. Directed by Aina Eunice Viray, Itlog is one of the exhibition films for this year’s Sine Reel, an annual film-making competition that features short films produced by fourth-year students of the UST Communication Arts Students’ Association (CASA). The short film is now streaming for free on iWantTFC. Focusing on the struggles of responsibility, the short film follows a mischievous young boy named Miggy (Juan Carlos Tamayo). The story begins when he was entrusted to keep an egg intact for a whole day by h

Apr212021 No Comments

Alon: The Receding Waves

Letters

By DAWN DANIELLE D. SOLANO REDEMPTION comes from recalling one’s mistakes. It then ripples to the will to amend for them. On the other hand, seeking to forget only adds salt to the wound, making it difficult to forgive oneself. Directed by Teresa Urmatam, a UST communication arts graduate, Alon is one of the 14 featured short films of Sine Reel 2021. The film is about loss, grief, and recovery and is currently streaming free on iWantTFC. Alon opens in a joyous atmosphere. In the beginning, the audience is introduced to the wholesome bond of the Fajardo family. The three siblings, Issa (Chin Jongko), Eman (Jeremy Sayas), and Imy (Katrina Urmatam), are shown having comfortable banter with their parents while on their way to the beach. However, the lively scene is o

Apr182021 No Comments

Reconnection

Letters, Photo of the Week

Ravaged by the touch of a scarring plague, the sickness pulled me in idle. Needles pierced through my skull, numbing my senses for freedom, Gasping for someone to cope with the pain. Loneliness lurked deep in the corners of the dark room. Menacing eyes threatened my sanity, Labeled as a purging disease to many. O, how I long to be wrapped in warm arms, Yearning for their empathy to shield me from fear. The outside world has become unknown, Due to the rampant chaos happening at a quick pace. The device that connects me outside Unleashes dread that disheartens sensibility, Leaving me wounded with harmful thoughts. A sudden ring pierces through the silence of the room, A part of me reconnecting to the days past

Apr102021 No Comments

An Adventure’s Cost

Letters, Photo of the Week

“The mundane affairs of humans must always have boundaries.” Disapproving my love for adventures, mother always repeated those words as she told the tale of a venturesome princess who disrespected the sacred Tawhay River. Angered by her recklessness, the gods cursed her to balance eternally on top of a stone pile as a living stone figure. Mother’s tale did not stop me and my horse, Kusog, from venturing into the woods. It only reinforced my desire to prove its legitimacy. She simply underestimated my stubbornness and wanderlust. My stream of thoughts suddenly halted when I began to hear the gushing waters. Alas! I caught sight of Tawhay, with the balanced stack of stones at its center. I urged Kusog to trot towards the pile for a closer look. Indeed, it was real ye

Apr32021 No Comments

Black Saturday

Letters, Photo of the Week

The lights flickered off at sunset, just as his prayers began. He was hoping for a delay; that the electric distribution company would be lenient. Darkness pervaded just in time for Black Saturday. Still, he remained in solemn posture. “...he was crucified, died…” As he prayed, a door opened. They looked at him. His wife and daughter’s eyes shut melancholy, but that was not all. They held culpability in their gaze, directed towards him. They clenched it like a lance, almost with aggression. He twitched as it pierced his heart. His breathing paused. For a moment, he thought blood streamed down from his torso. “...he descended into hell…” It was sweat trickling on his skin. A sudden heat expanded throughout his body. “...he rose again from the dead…” He he

Mar282021 No Comments

Ang Bulong ng Kahapon

Letters, Photo of the Week

Minsan kong nasilayan ang madlang yumapak Sa mabatong daan na saksi ng kasaysayan. Magkakaiba ang mukha. Magkakatulad ang mithiin. Lahat ay binubuhay ng kanilang mga hangarin. Kay raming beses ko na silang nasamahan Sa kasiyahan man o kalungkutan Habang nakikisilong sa aking mga sanga, Samu’t saring istorya ang dala-dala. Lahat ay nagpapatuloy sa pagtahak sa kapalaran, Habang ang paghihirap ng araw-araw ay iniinda. Ngayon ang mabatong daan ay wala ng laman, Katahimikan lamang ang naiwan. Kasabay ng bulong ng panahong nakalipas; Mga sandaling nakamit na ang wakas. Kung may dumaan man ay bihira ito. Takip ang ilong at bibig habang pumaparito. May bahid ng lungkot sa mga mata, Dala ang mga ala-alang nak

Mar272021 No Comments

Called by the Siren

Letters

By: PATRICK V. MIGUEL Editor’s Note: This piece is one of the works in a six-part series in line with the Dapitan 2021 theme Captured. All works are written by the Flame‘s Letters staffers. As Nena grew up from her father’s stories about mermaids, she was warned ever since to never trust them. “Sirens are deceitful,” he always said. This time, however, Nena neglects her father’s warning as she tip-toes in the middle of the night to reach the shore. Not far from their house, she spots the sharp fins of the mermaid rising from the shallow surface of the water. The mermaid looks at her, tilting its head as Nena walks towards her. Holding up the hem of her skirt, Nena dips her foot to the water, but as she takes one more step, she looks back into their house

Mar142021 No Comments

Gunning for Truth

Letters

By TAFFY ARELLA M. BERNALES Editor’s Note: This piece is one of the works in a six-part series in line with the Dapitan 2021 theme Captured. All works are written by the Flame‘s Letters staffers. Captivated by its power, my nine-year-old self had always dreamed of possessing a gun. I believed it would be the key to defeating “bad guys” causing mischief with their thieving hands. Bang! Bang! Gunshot sounds suddenly echoed in my mind as I replayed the CCTV footage of policemen surrounding an unarmed civilian. The kid in me would have been pumped to see this, if not for the dreadful event that occurred fourteen years ago. I have not been the same ever since. I shook my head, hoping to clear my mind; I cannot afford to be distracted. I have a crime to re

Mar132021 No Comments

Kisapmata: Mga Boses ng Kamalayan

Letters

By ABIGAIL M. ADRIATICO & DAWN DANIELLE D. SOLANO ANG UTAK ay may makapangyarihang papel sa pang araw-araw na pamumuhay ng tao. Pinamamahayan ito ng sari-saring boses na tumutulong upang maintindihan ang mga hindi inaasahang kaganapan sa kaniyang kapaligiran. Bagama’t ito ay nakadisenyo ayon sa kaniyang pangangailangan, maaari pa rin itong talaban ng mga panandaliang pagkakataon ng panghihina o pagkabalisa na siyang nagdudulot ng kaguluhan sa isipan. Sa panunulat at direksyon ni Sophia Eugenio, ang dulang Kisapmata ay tungkol sa istorya ni Alex, isang estudyanteng binabagabag ng mga boses sa kaniyang isipan. Hango sa teorya ni Sigmund Freud ukol sa pag-iisip ng mga tao, nabigyang katauhan ang id, ego, at superego sa pamamagitan ng mga boses ng konsiyensiya ni Alex n

Mar112021 No Comments

Float: Embracing Inclusivity

Letters

By PATRICK V. MIGUEL IN A SOCIETY where there is a socially-constructed notion of “normal”, anything that goes beyond it is often frowned upon or set-aside. People who are deemed “different” face struggles in their daily lives. As a result, these “othered” people live by the pressure to conform. Introduced as the first Pixar film that features Filipino main characters, Float (2019), alongside other SparkShorts, is currently up for free streaming on Youtube. Directed by Bobby Rubio, Float is a short animated film that tells a story between a father and a “different” son as they both deal with the pressure to conform to normality. Rubio dedicated the film to his own child who has been diagnosed with autism. However, in the film, the child’s condition is represented i