Patay na ang hari, mabuhay ang mahal na hari: renewal and redemption of the king in Joel Lamangan's Walang Kawala

Abstract

The object of the work is to explore the possibility that the appearance of the figure of the young gay man in independent gay Philippine cinema is a symbol of coming social and political transformation and renewal in Philippine life generally. The study analyzes the symbolism constellated in Joel Lamangan's Walang Kawala (2008) utilizing traditional Philippine folktales through a classical Jungian approach with particular attention to the struggle of the shadow and renewal of collective consciousness. This approach to the symbolic analysis of film reclaims classical Jungian thought as an alternative approach to film from the more dominant orientations. It ends with a brief review of how the symbolism in Walang Kawala parallels the symbolism in other recent independent gay Philippine films.