The Bet Collector - Post Reaction

I have just finished watching the Filipino foreign film The Bet Collector, therefore I will now give my thoughts and opinions on the movie itself.

The Philippines do have a law against Jueteng, however the police system is corrupt and nothing ever deminishes the popular gambling game. Of this, I'm reminded of 1920 Chicago, where the Police sytem was corrupted by the notorious gangster Al Capone. 

Amy is a married "debt collector" for a Jueteng organization, who lives in a poor neighborhood in the Philippines. One of her sons had recently passed as a member of the armed forces. Her son's memory/image makes various appearences throughout the film in the form of a "ghost-like" figure. It is assumed that Amy's son is merely a memory, visiting his mother periodically in her daily life. This "ghost" does not haunt her, and Amy is fascinated and attracted to its/his presence. As Amy is doing her daily "rounds" of bet collecting, she gets caught by the police and is arrested. No worries, for she is released with only a small fine to pay. In one scene, our protagonist comes across a funeral for a 20-year-old boy who was hit by a vehicle. Memories of her son emerge, and this is a sad time of pain and reflection for Amy. Apart from the ones just mentioned, not many other significant events occur until the very end of the movie. Amy and her other son are attracted to a group of people who are crowding a dispute and heated argument between two males. One man pulls out a gun and it accidentally goes off. The bullett narowly grazes Amy's shoulder and hits her son square in the chest. This is the movie's final scene, and somehow you make sense that Amy wishes she could have taken the impact instead of her child. This is a very sad and abrubt ending to a well-made film.

There are of course many cultural bridges that can be made with this film, hypothetical and physical. Amy is like many global citizens, she works hard every day at her job in the pursuit of a better life. She puts her family before herself, and that idealogy can be understood in all corners of the earth. It now seems more clear to me than ever that gambling is a part of human nature. Humans are inclined to putting money in jeopardy in the hope for a bigger prize. Gambling can be dangerous, so people routinely get obsessed with it and are hurt by its effects. One unusual thing that caught my eye was the curious wardrobe of the Filipino children who were roaming and playing in the streets. I saw many graphic tees, sports jerseys, and brand-name shirts on the civilians of this neighborhood. This demonstrates the physical western influence on the Philippines. Also, I couldn't help but notice that Spanish had roots in the Philippine language. For example, when the bet collector called and gathered bids, the numbers that were said were in Spanish. This little quirk was very interesting to me and I'm glad I noticed it.   

In conclusion, I thought The Bet Collector was a perfect choice to watch for our Global Film Studies class. This film works out very well because we get an in-depth look at Philippine life, there are many connections to our society, and the theme of poverty is a heavy issue which everyone in the world can relate to. In addition, the movie was well directed and produced. I have no complaints. I somewhat enjoyed the ending of The Bet Collector because it was unique and unexpected. At the same time, that particular theatrical strategy can also annoy audience members because they feel cheated of the "actual" ending. I really liked this foreign film, and of course I'm always looking forward to watching more movies and blogging about them at the end. Stay tuned for more!