Kubrador Movie - an Ordinary Meaningless Existence Can Suddenly Be Challenged by the Perplexing Game of Life, Luck and Death

"An ordinary meaningless existence can suddenly be challenged by the perplexing game of life, luck and death."

In the earlier part of the movie (the introduction) the director already showed some of the socio-economic/political status of an ordinary Filipino, living in a "slum" area. While the Kubrador was walking to the "bolahan" till the time he arrived in his destination, the Film Director was able to show how the typical Filipino masses live day-by-day, there were kids playing along the street, men breeding their cocks, for cock fighting, women chattering with each other about certain topic, the typical "chismis'' session, and most of all, people who are betting in "Jueteng", a local Philippine number gambling, hoping that they will be lucky and win the next draw, while the poor "Kubrador" is collecting their bets, for a living. In the introduction of the character, the film introduced the major character, per se, direct to the point. And every time that there will be a Police that will raid the "bolahan", which they refer to as "kalaban", they will stop the draw and proceed, just like nothing happen. Amy the main protagonist, is typical middle-aged Filipino woman, religious, nagger, hopeful and loving to her children and grand children. Her husband Eli, who is equally aging, can only manage to help by manning their small sari-sari (variety store).

In the rising part of the plot, it was revealed that Amy's family was just like any other typical Filipino family, her eldest, worked overseas as a domestic helper hoping that someday she can help the family to get out on the mud of poverty, which represent almost all the poor Filipino families that sends their members overseas as OFW to earn a living, which again represents the poor employment status of the Philippines. Her second child, married a useless, lowly newspaper vendor, her daughter never finished her tertiary education which is a representation of the expensive educational system here in the Philippines. And her youngest, which was a soldier who died in combat in Mindanao, a place that represents the unstable political status of the Philippines. Included in the development of the plot is the situation while she was collecing bets, three days before All Saints Day, Amy was apprehended by a police officer, and joins the other kubradors till their kabo bails them out, but in my surprise, the police chief places bet on his favorite numbers, together with his deputy and the other police officer. In my personal thoughts, this scene implies that even the police who are suppose to stop the spread of this illegal gambling scheme even place their bets on their "lucky numbers" inspite of their mandate and the strong position of the government towards the issue of jueteng, thus this shows how the Philippine police department was tainted by wrong practices.

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