Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, Which Struggle Am I Though?

Who else would forget this famous Teddie-line? “Ma…ma, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Ma.” A line you can hear every time you read it as if the actress - Toni Gonzaga herself is speaking directly into your brain. Such a remarkable line for such an equally remarkable movie. A movie you can safely say is essentially a reference, and at the same time, a piece of pop culture, and media.

Star Cinema's "Four Sisters and a Wedding"

4 Sisters and a Wedding revolves around the story of the Salazars - Teddie, Bobbie, Alex, and Gabbie, living their own lives until their youngest brother, Rebreb, has decided to marry a girl named Princess. This forced the sisters to be together in order to prepare for their brother’s upcoming wedding. Unresolved issue between Bobbie and Alex from a guy they both fell in love with during the past made the somewhat “reunion” awkward, this worsened when Princess’ parents meddled with the sisters’ problems upon discovering their secrets and background from a secret investigation they initiated. This left the Salazar matriarch in awe, and it brought about what is now a timeless confrontation scene in Philippine Cinema history. Little did they know that the family’s supposed reunion will turn out to be their “family therapy” where their past issues, burdens, and secrets will be resolved, and unveiled.

Star Cinema's "Four Sisters and a Wedding"

This movie is such a tearjerker because it is close to home. It mirrors the Filipino family and the things they have to go through, which makes the movie so relatable. Moreover, the Filipino culture and familial dilemma each member faces are highly reflected in the film, especially the bad and unjustifiable ones which in reality, totally happens in almost every Filipino household. For example, (1) favouritism amongst siblings, as much as Grace Salazar - the mother - claims that favouritism between the siblings is non-existent, she can’t completely prove this and make up for Bobbie’s observation on her favouritism towards Teddie (the eldest), this is most likely a common issue not just in Filipino families, this in turn breeds animosity among the members of the family specifically on siblings. Another issue that was greatly given emphasis on the movie was the (2) comparison on the achievements of each of them. Alex, the coined to be “black sheep” of the family as well as Teddie, the unemployed teacher in Spain, feels this sense of shame and embarrassment because compared to their sister Bobbie, the most accomplished one, they are a nobody, this toxic culture in Filipino families develops an unhealthy competition, puts pressure to everyone, and places them in a position where they feel that they have to top what my sibling/s had achieved so that I would be the “pride” of the family. (3) In addition, greatly highlighted in the film is the Filipino family’s opinion towards who one from their family would marry, Princess is not who the Salazar sisters envisioned for their brother, and that speaks volumes on the number of topics and concerns Filipinos put their hand on.

The movie also created a great balance in gender roles especially on women’s, this is visible in the juxtaposition on who Gabbie is at home versus who she is out of it, yes, she still subscribes to the idea of the roles of a woman - typically at home, taking care of family members, doing chores etc. but it’s impossible to not notice that at the same time, she defies these gender roles by having  a job; a role which in general is often associated to men. Actually, the Salazar sisters are great examples of norm and stereotype breakers as all of them are very independent which in the context of the patriarchal Philippines is quite unusual.

This movie became number 1 on my list of favourite movies because 4 Sisters and a Wedding is a letter to every person out there that sees themselves as either Teddie, Bobbie, Alex, Gabbie, or Rebreb. Indeed, some of our sibling, family members, or even ourselves in general are often taken for granted like Gabbie, some may be considered “unreputable” like Alex, some may also be unseen and unrecognized just like Bobbie, or might be the favoured one but also the hideous like Teddie, or they may literally be just there like Rebreb, but isn’t this what makes a family a family? We simply cannot have every attribute; we may experience the same syndrome similar to one of these 5 siblings but that does not make us less of a person nor does it make us a worthless family member. The movie gives resolution to these feelings often felt within a family. Representation matters especially when we feel like we are existing just to become walking struggles, and seeing a movie discuss and represent these battles of each family member is a big deal most especially because these may result in greater family setbacks, but just like what they say, “All’s well that ends well.”