By Leann Grayce Diga
“What is the process of which individual organisms with favourable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with unfavourable traits?” The emcee of the National Science Quiz Bee Championship asks in the very first scene of the film.
All eight contenders, with absolute confidence in their answers, raised their boards to reveal their responses. With the diversity of scientific topics available to cover, it’s rather an interesting spectacle on why this question was asked among all of them. As the story unfolds, we see Charles Darwin’s concept become more and more personified in the lives of the characters of the film as they confront the realities of life.
Which begs the question: what does it truly take for individuals to survive?
Directed by Auraeus Solito, “Pisay” is a poignant coming-of-age Filipino indie film, released in 2007, about the reality of Philippine Science High School students during the clamorous and waning years of the Marcos regime. The title of the film is a word play from the official nickname of the government-funded institution Philippine Science High School (PSHS) which serves as a training ground for the future scientists and mathematicians of the nation.
With its highly-competitive atmosphere, soaring academic standards, as well as the heavy amount of workload, PSHS has marked its identity as an establishment for students who are looked upon as “the cream of the crop.”
With a story that revolves around the lives of different high school students, the themes of academics, young love, friendship, homesickness, disappointment, and pressure are hard to miss. Moreover, the film also addressed the underlying messages of political awareness, personal dreams, discrimination, biases, and societal expectations.
“Pisay” is divided into four parts that are closely intertwined; with each chapter focusing on a specific year of high school and following six different central characters namely: Rom, a brilliant yet impoverished student; Wena, an academic-focused girl; Mat, a struggling boy with a happy-go-lucky facade; Liway, a determined and outspoken person; Andy, a quick-witted and easy going C.A.T. comrade aspirant; and Euri, a visionary and an avid theater lover, as they studied in Pisay.
The first minutes of the film depicted the students during their freshman year in Pisay. The individuality and relationship of Rom (Gammy Lopez) and Wena (Annicka Dolonius), were the focal points of the story. Rom is the son of a fish vendor and an OFW in Saudi, while Wena is from Negros and the daughter of important people who are closely related to Marcos himself. The two develop a romantic relationship which their teacher, Ms. Casas (Eugene Domingo), promptly dissolved as she believed that they could do better without distractions.
Come sophomore year, the film shifts to Mat (Carl Barrameda), a probinsyano from Cebu. Due to immense pressure from his peers, family, and academics, his focus kept deviating from one thought to the next. He then started to have declining grades, which eventually caused him to be withdrawn from the institution.
When junior year came, the story of Liway (Shayne Fajutagana) and Andy (Jon Neri) was highlighted. Liway is of native descent, a journalist, and excels in social science but not in chemistry. Meanwhile, Andy is an aspiring C.A.T. officer in school, and the opposite of Liway in academics. The two agree to work together in order to pass their social science subject by creating a presentation that embodies Apo Makiling and the Chico dam project. They passed the subject and eventually became friends. However, their friendship was immediately sealed off as Liway left school to support her father, who was actively revolting against the Marcos administration.
Finally, the senior year shows the students preparing for graduation, with the administration giving importance to the fact that they have to choose a science course for college, or the students will have to reimburse the cost of education themselves.
Euri (EJ Jallorina) refused to accept this fact because he wanted to pursue theatre. Using his talents along with the help of his two teachers, Euri composed a play about the unjust system where he called Pisay as a “Manukan” because of how they pit students against each other akin to a cockfight. Due to immense censorship, the play was banned from their school, so it was commenced on the road instead. The story of the mentioned characters all intertwined at the end of the film as they joined the EDSA People Power together and eventually graduated from high school.
Overall, the film gives an interesting take on the different obstacles a person encounters whilst still trying to function properly within the system. Students, as well as teachers, can effortlessly relate to the characters of the film regardless of whose personality reflects their own. The struggle of academics, the pressure and expectations from the people around us, the terrifying uncertainty of what we really want to do with our lives—all of these things can resonate with us as we, too, continue to question our existence in this world, just as what the characters went through.
The film also boasts how detailed, creative, and in-depth the learning experience in Pisay are, such as how Rom and Euri built a hat containing the planets of the solar system and added fireworks to demonstrate how the universe works; how Andy dressed up in an ethnic costume during their social science project presentation; how participative each student in a classroom is during a discussion; and how ranking is a huge deal to every person within the institution.
“Pisay” also gives off a sentimental atmosphere as the audience get to envision themselves becoming students (or teachers) again, who, at one point in their life, grappled with how they could make it through the struggles of being a youth in a demanding world.
As the story was set in the 1980s, people of this era would also feel nostalgic, as the film evidently illustrates how life was different back then compared to now. Back then, students had headphones and Walkman whereas airpods and Spotify are the trends today. The film was also able to embody the 80’s way of dressing, hair styling, and even communicating with the characters using outdated Pinoy slang such as “Ayak mo yan, erp!”
As for the technical aspects, the consistent use of rule-of-thirds, warm and cool tones, as well as lower angle shots completed the cinematography of the film. The cast, with their commendable acting of struggling personalities, were able to give justice to their distinct characters. The costume design was also able to give a somewhat accurate depiction of how people dressed back then, which is similar yet different to how people dress in the present era. Above all, the nostalgic script writing combined with inspirational quotes from the students’ teachers such as “Ang pinakamalaking kasalanan sa buhay natin ay ang hindi pagsubok sa iba’t-ibang bagay” from Euri’s teacher, also added to the overall comedic and dramatic effect of the film.
Indeed, Auraeus Solito outdid himself with how “Pisay” all came together: from the emphatic portrayal of the characters to the vintage vibe and dialogue, up to the social relevance of the film—even to this day.
Altogether, the message of the film was clear: it is our job as students to become critical, curious, and aware of what is happening around us. A true intellectual is not just someone who knows the right answers, but someone who also knows how to ask the right questions. We must break the mindset that we only have to study just for the sake of sustaining our family; but we also have to give importance to the fact that we study to benefit our country and to give ourselves a sense of passion and freedom in what we do.
“Pisay” challenges every one of us to manifest such favourable traits—as these things will serve as our map to adapt and bring immeasurable change.
This is how we survive in the real world.
Watch the film trailer of “Pisay” here:
