WEEK 3 - Discussion

Discussion

Holy Week special (UCSP) discussion questions (answers should be at least 5 sentences):
1. Who are the main characters of the story. Describe them, how their paths met and how their relationship developed.

    The movie focused on Art and Cora (Socorro), the main characters of the story. Art came from a broken family, as his father had another family due to infidelity. To cope up with this and help his family, Art became a working student, working multiple jobs until he became a part-time hairdresser. Art's dream of having his own salon came true when he was able to save up the money, which then paved the way to accepting his true gender identity, and eventually meeting Cora along the transition. Cora was a client in Art's salon who fell in love with Art, despite his gender identity. As a good cook, she eventually found a way to his heart by cooking him his favorite food. With "love at first bite", they became close and eventually became a couple as they spent a lot of time together and longed for each other's company.

2. What were the issues/challenges that the main characters faced?

    There were a lot of challenges that were faced by Cora and Art, such as arguments on who should take care of the children. However, I think that the main issue that they faced was when Art became confused with his gender identity. To him, it felt like Cora did not fill the gaps of desire he was feeling, which ultimately cost him to fall out of love with her. Suddenly, he met Jake, his new client. Although his acts were friendly at first, it became something more, to the point where Art started falling in love with Jake's efforts of bringing him food and caring for him when he is sick. By then, Art was confused as he was still attached to Cora, but was physically attracted to Jake. He ultimately chose Jake over Cora, causing him to cheat with his wife.

3. In the deepest, darkest moment of the guy's life (the main character), what made him have a change of heart, realize his mistakes, and do the right thing to live a moral life and restore his family?

    Art went through a lot, from when he cheated on Cora, to when he felt betrayed by Jake. When it started to become too much, he resorted to gambling, eventually losing his business and his family. At his darkest moment, Art decided that in order to relieve him off of his problems, he would take his own life. Fortunately, his brother was able to stop him on time, as he received a call from Cora asking for help. His brother, who is also a pastor, taught him to turn to God as he will accept him and his forgiveness and with that, he accepted God and studied the bible, which in turn helped him reconcile with his family again.

4. What is repentance? Cite specific part/s in the film where this was expressed.

    By definition, repentance is the activity in which a person expresses regret for actions they've done. This often happens when we feel guilty and regret the things we should not have done in the first place. One of scenes where repentance was expressed was when Art turned to God and asked for forgiveness for what he has done. Art also expressed repentance to Cora when he asked for forgiveness for choosing Jake over their family. More so, Cora also showed repentance when she felt that she had not given Art enough love and attention.

5. What is reconciliation? How do we reconcile? Why is this important in restoring broken relationships?

    By definition, reconciliation happens when two parties come together to unite and resolve their conflict, which will then fix their broken relationship. For me, repenting on your past mistakes is the first step to reconciliation. We should be able to acknowledge and reflect on how our past actions created problems, as this is key to reconciliation. Reconciliation is important in restoring broken relationships as it helps us all change for the better, where we are able to redeem ourselves through repentance and acceptance. An example of reconciliation was when Art finally forgave his father and reconciled with him after everything they've been through.

6. What are the morals of the story? What part/s touched you the most and what are the major lessons/realizations that you had after watching the film?

    One of my realizations after watching the film was that before you enter a relationship, you must be ready to commit. As I was watching the movie, I could not help but cringe at the scene where Cora and Art made their relationship official, as it was only done in a spur of the moment and that it seemed forced. Although in the scene, they were talking about their relationship, I noticed that the things they talked about were only skin deep as they only talked about their feelings but not the other factors that can affect their relationship, which is not deep enough to assess whether they are actually ready to commit with one another. Another thing is that Art seemed like he wasn't also ready, as he did not know whether or not he should choose Jake to satisfy his physical attachment, or his family with Cora as he has parental obligations. No matter who you are or what your sexual preference is, you should still be honest and ready once you commit to a relationship. While watching, there was also a question running through my mind, if Art had fallen in love with a man instead of a woman, would the church and its pastors still help him in times of struggles, just like what his brother did? Would he be treated the same, or would they think of him as another "sinner"?