She also keeps the umbilical cords of the baby in their house. Aside from being a midwife, she is a typical submissive wife who goes about her day helping her husband in fishing, weaving, and other households. Bangs-an her husband, longs to have a child, to add to the poignancy, but since it’s too late for Shale to have a child. Other than being childless, Shale and Bangs-an seem to have the perfect marriage, love, respect, humor, and mutual understanding. Yet, this lack of a child is viewed as a lack of divine grace and they need s child to make their marriage whole.
Therefore, they began to go about a search for a suitable girl who can provide them with the family they crave for, and of course whose family will agree to the proposal, and try to find enough money for a dowry. Eventually, they find a suitable girl at a decent price and the couple are relieved and happy. Her name is Merrill. But the agreement was not without condition, and this was to leave his wife when the first child is born. This condition left Bangs- An choice between his wife or the child.. The ending was when Shale has the emulations Joy and heartbreak of delivering and assisting the birth of her husband’s long awaited child.
REACTION: The movie was very nice. It made me realize things other than what I am leaving at couple. The film gives us a look into a culture which most people like us never knew existed. It also showed their community life, the Joys and struggles, the colorful rituals and ceremonies for weddings, the great poverty of its inhabitants, and their problems with pirates, and the Philippine Police Military. Mindanao has had a reputation for piracy, terrorism, and separatist insurgency, and s hardly known by the people living in Manila.
Many of them live and built their houses in the sea. The poverty of the island dwellers is also countered by their generosity. Lavish wedding celebrations are well-organized; money is given as the couple dances. Hospitality is also a part of their culture. Another thing is that, pirates steal boats and belongingness, whilst soldiers and gunfire are so ubiquitous as to be humdrum. Poverty and violence was pretty obvious in the film. Also, they are allowed to be married as much as they want as long as they can give a living for the family they will have.
