Quid Pro Quo: A Sociological Analysis on the Film Green Bones
deskvalor
Mar 26
4 min read
By: Jeraldine Mae A. Gusi
Introduction
“This for that” or quid pro quo is the reciprocating of a favor in return for something. Zig Dulay’s Green Bones (2024) is an official 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry that emphasizes the social injustice that prevails in the Philippines. The film delves into the struggles of the marginalized due to misuse of authority.
Revolving around a sociological perspective, it explores one of the societal issues in the country. It highlights the abuse of power that results in the neglect of the rights of the oppressed. Green Bones captures the corruption within the Philippine police system, emphasizing the injustices the marginalized face and urging a plea for reform in social inequality.
Body
Green Bones explores the question, “What makes a person good? Can criminals ever redeem themselves and become virtuous?” (Diez, 2019). Domingo “Dom” Zamora, portrayed by Dennis Trillo, is a criminal who was put behind bars for murdering his sister and niece. After being arrested, Dom made a sign language that no one could decode, which became a nightly ritual that the prisoners considered him deaf. The actor portraying Dom shared in an interview that even if he had fewer lines in the film, it was vital to use his eyes to communicate (Severo, 2024).
Communicating without the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants, sign language is a tool to communicate with deaf or hard with hearing individuals (Harati, 2024). As for Dom, being away from your loved ones is difficult with only having the chance to talk to them during family or conjugal visits.
Sign language could be also used with the deceased. In Chinese culture, it is believed that the deceased could still hear the living as can be observed when families come over to their loved ones who passed away to ask for blessings and protection (Lagerway, 2018). Dom’s use of sign language serves as a tool to communicate with the living and dead social system.
Critical Analysis
Depiction of how the elite is favored over the marginalized can be observed in the film. From a sociological perspective, Green Bones explores the social injustices in the country as these appointed policemen who were tasked to protect their fellowmen become in favor of those high-ranking. Jonathan Cruz, one of the prison guards played by Wendell Ramos, is portrayed as firm and faithful to his chief, Juanito Velasquez, played by Michael de Mesa. Cruz’s behavior around Velasquez can be interpreted as doing something for something or quid pro quo as he kept on making his chief believe that he was the most outstanding police to be promoted and replace him despite harassing inmates behind his back.
Dulay unfolds the story through the contrasting lens of a prisoner and a prison guard. It was exhibited in the film as Xavier Gonzaga, one of the guards played by Ruru Madrid, who has a vendetta against people who are deemed murderers by the law, and Dom, a soon-to-be-released inmate (Cavaneyra, 2024). The film was set in a rural prison in San Fabian, with inmates who are tasked every day to follow a routine of planting, exercising, and wood crafting to attain good behavior from the police and be released. This depicts that regardless of the violated law an inmate commits, those who are underprivileged continue to lack the power to alter the justice system and flee from their crime.
While Green Bones received praise from the viewers, some felt that the plot was rushed (Mallorca, 2024). Several viewers addressed that despite the film having one hour and 40 minutes runtime, the latter part seemed like it skipped vital subplots. One character development arc that the director missed out on is the relationship between Dom and Xavier, with the friction between them slowly smoothing out. After discovering green bones after his death, Xavier only realized Dom was a good person after all. In Chinese culture, finding green bones in the deceased is considered a symbol of prosperity, and viewed that the person led a good life, without a trace of malice (Henning & Taylor, 2023). The progression between the two of them could be more refined by extending the scenes, such as having Xavier witness Dom’s goodness in him rather than knowing he was a good person at the end after he passed away.
The film mirrors the harsh realities the marginalized face as being continuously denied social fairness. According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (2018), the practice of quid pro quo is still evident in the Philippines and can be observed between Cruz and Velasquez as they remain loyal to their masters just to receive something for something, sweeping fairness in justice under the rug. The act of police misuse of authority becomes a representation of the corruption in the justice system that emphasizes favoritism over civil rights, urging a change in social reform and those who must be held accountable must be held accountable.
Conclusion
Zig Dulay’s Green Bones exposes the struggles of the disadvantaged in the justice system of the country. The relevance of quid pro quo stands out as these so-called “mga alagad ng batas” become in favor of doing something to receive something in return, prioritizing personal gain over serving justice.
The significance of the film reflects the details of unfairness in the justice system, with the characters helping to portray these details through meaningful and effective acting. The story plot delves into the flaws of the Philippines’ justice system, shedding light on the unseen and living people who are deemed lifeless and viewed as having no more use in society. Green Bones serves as a reminder of the urgent need to create a change for the betterment of the country’s legal system.
Reference List
Cavaneyro, N. G. (2024, December 30). Make no bones about it: “Green Bones” is a landmark Filipino film. SEA
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