The archipelagic structure of our country cultivates a sense of displacement as the mainstream favors the metropolis. Communities from other regions are not given the same favorable coverage, with the plight of the indigenous communities often unheard. This has led to most tribes migrating to the city as well, to gain safety and to have a greater chance of being heard.
Bullet-Laced Dreams puts their issues front and center through the narratives of Lumad children, filled with aspiration but impeded by state forces determined to eradicate their future. We follow Chricelyn and her peers, who all relocated to Manila to continue their studies after military troops invaded their ancestral domains and lands. With the encouragement of their community back home, the children gain the courage to voice out their concerns and reach out for support in the struggles they face both as individuals and as a collective.
The children are in constant movement, going from place to place seeking the solidarity and strength they need miles away from where they used to be. They speak with reclamation and rigor to take back their robbed youth through the streets of the metropolis, taking part in rallies and holding discussions to share their sentiments with the people of the city in hopes of gaining support for their causes.
The documentary is a thoughtful exposition of issues often overshadowed by the media. It calls us to rethink as a nation beyond the Metro. We always say that children are our future, yet we fail them in the present. With the administration continuously committing atrocities against these minorities, we are called to extend ourselves as these Lumad children have done in coming closer to us. To persevere and fight for our communities and fellowmen beyond borders and oceans that deems separation in our country, gaining an archipelagic consciousness of the nation’s state. [2]
Bullet-Laced Dreams is now streaming on MOOV.
Sine Liwanag 