Biyaya
ABSTRACT
Tumbaga, R.P. (2017). Biyaya, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.
Biyaya chronicles three days in the lives of a young couple, Antonio and Claudine, who are on the verge of falling apart and are suddenly kidnapped by a seemingly religious group. Upon abduction, the young couple are told that they aren’t just random victims of kidnapping, but are chosen targets due to their inability to maintain a healthy relationship.
The film is a deconstruction of the common narrative structure for Filipino romantic-comedies. Using satire, the film takes a completely different turn on telling a romantic story; immediately presenting an uncommon outlook on love and delving into a twisted view of religion as its foundation.
The filmmaker intends to push the boundaries of the Filipino romantic-comedy; pitting the protagonists into increasingly absurd situations as consequence for failing to be a perfect couple, and nearly disguising the film as a post-modernist take on the nation’s belief of Roman Catholicism.
Keywords: Absurd Comedy, Cow, Deconstruction, Post-Modernism, Religion