Article by: Lea Ysabel Evangelista
Graphics by: Marianne Lois M. Boncolmo
As Filipinos, love is excessively expressed in a myriad of ways. This is evident in films from with kilig moments in rom-coms to tear jerkers in family-oriented indies.
The quotes we relate to show the type of love we feel for a specific person, romantic or not. This Valentine's day, don't be afraid to show everyone how you feel!
STORGE
Familial Love
The first type of love most of us feel is Storge, love for family. As humans, it is a natural occurrence to feel affection towards those who take care of you and vice versa.
Ronaldo Valdez’ character, Manuel, in the film Seven Sundays, is a father who has little time to live. He then gathered his children in hopes of repairing estranged relationships. The story progressed as the siblings slowly got to know each other again which lead to their reformed and strengthened bond.
EROS
Romantic/Sexual Love
Though Eros came from the word "erotas" meaning "an intimate love", its meaning has then evolved into what we are accustomed to today: love with passion and romance.
In the recently released film, On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets, Francis falls in love with a problematic celebrity (Jane) and hopes to bring comfort to her many drunken nights. Despite red flags slapping him on the face, he goes on to pursuing Jane and openly confesses his love for her.
PHILIA
Feeling part of a team
This love stays through thick and thin. Love does not necessarily have to be bonded by blood to be familial. Philia represents the love one feels belonging to a group.
Just like in The Reunion, Pat, Joax, and Boggs didn’t think twice about going with their friend Lloyd to look for his first love, Ara. Even with that crazy idea, they went along to support their friend’s happiness. In the end, Lloyd found true refuge in his group and moved on with his life.
LUDUS
Playful Love
Ludus is often expressed at a young age. It somewhat coincides with the honeymoon stage in every relationship where there is flirting, child-like banter, and butterflies in the stomach.
In the book-based movie, She’s Dating The Gangster, Athena and Kenji, who began with a fake relationship, constantly bicker but shared heart fluttering moments that eventually led them to fall for each other. They show their love for each other in exciting ways from couple shirts to an impromptu Albay trip. Until the end, they kept their playful interaction even after their situation became no joking matter.
PRAGMA
Love that endures
Pragma may be the most painful of the eight types. It is a love that withstands time, hardships, and consequences.
Hintayan ng Langit, a play-turned-movie, begins with Manolo, an old man who recently died and went to purgatory. There he meets his ex-lover, Lisang, who was already next in line to go to heaven. Later, she reveals that she waited even after death just to be with him again. After years of being married and starting a family, she still had Manolo in her heart.
PHILAUTIA
Self Love
Loving yourself is one of the most common trends nowadays. To the Greeks, self-love is also a type of love i.e. accepting all your insecurities and caring for yourself is already love itself.
Camp Sawi is a film about heartbroken individuals who seek healing in a camp for people of the like. Brij, Gwen, Joan, and Jess each go through a moving on process where they strive to forget their pain and realize their worth. Brij and Gwen may not have found their true love at the end of the film but they learned to put themselves first.
MANIA
Obsessive Love
Obsession is dangerous, more so when love is involved. Mania is a kind of love that drives a person into a fatal attraction or addiction towards the person they “love.”
The movie No Other Woman features a story of adultery. Kara, a free-spirited and sensual personality flirts with Ram, a married man. Despite gaining knowledge of his marital status, she continues to seduce him. She led herself to believe that what they have is true love and went as far as confronting his wife, Charmaine about it. Kara forces herself on Ram but ends up being pushed to the side.
AGAPE
Love for humankind
The last type of love is Agape or love for mankind. It’s selfless and compassionate.
Heneral Luna, one of the most celebrated Filipino films in this generation, heavily depicted its namesake's devotion to serve his countrymen. Though many believed he was insane for his short temper and peculiar demeanor, these did nothing to stop his determination to get rid of the colonizers who enslaved Filipinos in their own land. He died in the name of his country with no ounce of betrayal for his selfless dream to break free from the grasps of offenders.
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