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    Film Analysis: Iyallatiw

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    Nico Boialter
    The documentary film "Iyallatiw" focuses on the oral tradition in Paoay, Ilocos Norte of praying for the dead for nine days. It highlights how this tradition is slowly disappearing as the younger generation struggles to learn the chants and prayers. The film uses imagery like sunset and children singing to represent the fading practice. It also shows the passion and devotion of the locals through their clothing and songs. The film argues this tradition may be lost without ensuring it is passed on to future generations.

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    Film Analysis: Iyallatiw

    Uploaded by

    Nico Boialter
    106 views3 pages
    The documentary film "Iyallatiw" focuses on the oral tradition in Paoay, Ilocos Norte of praying for the dead for nine days. It highlights how this tradition is slowly disappearing as the younger generation struggles to learn the chants and prayers. The film uses imagery like sunset and children singing to represent the fading practice. It also shows the passion and devotion of the locals through their clothing and songs. The film argues this tradition may be lost without ensuring it is passed on to future generations.

    Original Title

    BSCE-GALANO-JEISTHER-FILM-1

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    The documentary film "Iyallatiw" focuses on the oral tradition in Paoay, Ilocos Norte of praying for the dead for nine days. It highlights how this tradition is slowly disappearing as the younger generation struggles to learn the chants and prayers. The film uses imagery like sunset and children singing to represent the fading practice. It also shows the passion and devotion of the locals through their clothing and songs. The film argues this tradition may be lost without ensuring it is passed on to future generations.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    106 views3 pages

    Film Analysis: Iyallatiw

    Uploaded by

    Nico Boialter
    The documentary film "Iyallatiw" focuses on the oral tradition in Paoay, Ilocos Norte of praying for the dead for nine days. It highlights how this tradition is slowly disappearing as the younger generation struggles to learn the chants and prayers. The film uses imagery like sunset and children singing to represent the fading practice. It also shows the passion and devotion of the locals through their clothing and songs. The film argues this tradition may be lost without ensuring it is passed on to future generations.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    FILM ANALYSIS

    “Iyallatiw”
    (To Transfer)

    Documentary film

    Presented by:
    JEISTHER TIMOTHY GALANO
    BSCE

    Presented to:
    MELVER RITZ GOMEZ
    Instructor
    Film & Society

    APRIL 22, 2021


    I. INTRODUCTION

    “Iyallatiw” is a documentary film that features the beauty


    of an oral tradition preserved by the locals of Paoay and the
    challenge of transferring it to the future generation.
    “Iyallatiw” in Iloko is a term used to describe the act of
    the journeying of a soul to the other world. There is a
    cultural tradition of the locals there, in which the dead are
    honored with nine days of prayer or “lualo”. After the lualo,
    they set up offerings of various food in front of their altars
    lighted by candles or the “atang”. This practice is commonly
    associated with the traditional belief that a person’s soul
    in purgatory needs prayer for relief.
    “Iyallatiw” can also describe an act of moving a certain
    thing from one place to the other. In the film, the word is
    used to describe two things: (1) the act of travelling of a
    soul to another realm; (2) the act of passing the cultural
    tradition of saying chants and prayers, to the next
    generation.

    II. DISCUSSION

    The film is woven in such a way that it invokes its audience


    to look on our traditions in a different perspective. It
    highlights the fact that the oral custom of saying prayers
    for the dead is slowly disappearing. With the camera shots
    for example, lighting and editing, it can be interpreted that
    there is a need to ensure traditional knowledge to be
    transmitted between generations. There is a fear that one
    day, these traditions might get lost without proof that they
    even existed. Each element of the film contributes to that
    idea; the fear of losing a gem that is already part of an
    identity. Like the scene of the main character watching the
    beautiful sunset, followed by the rising of the children
    struggling to sing the cultural practice. The dimming of
    lights denotes the fading oral practice. On the other hand,
    the youth signifies their hope. The hope of the locals to
    remain as an active part of that tradition by transmitting it
    to the next generation.
    Another important element in the film is the highlight of
    passion and devotion of the locals to what they are doing.
    This element is not only exemplified by the veils and the
    clothing of the women themselves but also through the songs
    they are singing. Like the “Puso A Rumayrayray” or the hearts
    that radiate and glow. This illustrates their sincerity and
    commitment to practice this religious custom.
    More than just a chant, the sound of the women praying,
    resonates the kind of life they are living. As seen in the
    film, their world is simple and bare, away from worries and
    apprehensions, untouched by any marks of modernity. Also,
    their chants and prayers as an act of their plead for the
    salvation of the dead can also be a representation of their
    begging and aspiration to continue a long preserved yet dying
    tradition.

    Along with beautiful elements and symbolism in the film,


    there are some problems I stumbled upon. With the desire of
    creating a film that is full of imagery, the film being
    considered as a documentary is already somewhat questionable.
    We expect a documentary film to be raw and unfiltered and
    with the beautiful elements in the film, someone might say
    that the accuracy of the film is fabricated. I’m not saying
    that the story is unreal, I am pointing that some elements of
    the film might be exaggerated or altered in order to satisfy
    the audience. In other words, how the elements are put
    together in the film are so beautiful and wholesome that it
    is doubtful if something like this would actually happen in
    the real world. Nonetheless, the film gave a not only a
    beautiful impact on how I perceive traditions but an
    inspiration to be proud of the culture and the identity that
    I have.

    III. CONCLUSION

    The film revolves around the idea that the oral traditions
    might get lost without trace in history. In order to not let
    this happen, there is a need to hand these down to the younger
    generation. It is very true that traditional knowledge is at
    the core of indigenous identity, culture, languages, heritage
    and livelihoods, and its transmission from one generation to
    the next must be protected, preserved and encouraged.

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