Date of Publication
12-2025
Document Type
Bachelor's Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts Major in Communication Arts
Subject Categories
Communication
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department/Unit
Communication
Defense Panel Chair
Bruno Lovric
Defense Panel Member
Martin Vidanes
Ramon Cabreira
Jenica Villanueva
Abstract (English)
OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) were hailed by the Philippine government as "New Heroes" (Uy-Tioco, 2007). They leave their family in the Philippines in search of a brighter future and face additional challenges. OFWs are frequently commended for their "resilience" and "sacrifice," which often romanticizes their struggles. By highlighting the intricate difficulties and repercussions of extended physical separation between parents and their children, Severance seeks to rectify this idealized view. The study aims to shed light on how their parents’ absence affects their ability to build and sustain relationships of any kind as they transition to adulthood.
Severance is a coming-of-age short film that follows 17-year-old Nina's transition into adulthood as she struggles with changing relationships with two significant individuals in her life: her best friend, who is about to move abroad for college, and her returning OFW mother. The film depicts how labor migration, absence, and distance affect emotional, social, and developmental pathways through a cultural lens. The film shows the long-standing physical and emotional gap between mother and daughter which affects Nina’s ability to connect, trust, and accept change. Through moments of miscommunication, emotional distance, and eventual reconciliation, Severance illustrates how the physical absence of a mother deeply influences a child’s developmental and relational pathways. Severance’s silver lining shows the process of personal growth that emerges from these experiences, such as maturity, closure, and acceptance.
The study incorporates an autoethnographic component, a qualitative research method that allows results to be evaluated both intellectually and emotionally. Data gathered from the authors’ collective lived experiences formed the film’s development, including plot, characters, tone, and key themes. The researchers aim to contribute to the narratives of left-behind children and perhaps spark a new conversation on these experiences, serving as a space for healing.
1080P. MP4 file.
Abstract Format
html
Abstract (Filipino)
Itinuturing ang mga OFW bilang mga “Bagong Bayani” ng pamahalaang Pilipino (Uy-Tioco, 2007). Pinupuri ang mga OFW dahil sa kanilang “katatagan” at “sakripisyo,” na kadalasang nagroromantisa sa kanilang mga paghihirap. Sa paglalarawan ng masalimuot na suliranin at epekto ng matagal na pisikal na pagkakahiwalay ng mga magulang at mga anak, nilalayon ng pelikulang Severance na iwasto ang ganitong idealisadong pananaw. Layunin nitong bigyang-liwanag ang epekto ng pagkawala ng presensya ng mga magulang ang kakayahan ng mga anak na bumuo at magpanatili ng anumang uri ng ugnayan habang sila’y lumilipat sa pagtanda.
Ang Severance ay nakatuon sa transisyon sa yugto ng buhay ni Nina, isang 17 taong gulang, na hinaharap ang pagbabago ng ugnayan sa kaniyang matalik na kaibigan na aalis upang magkolehiyo sa ibang bansa at pagbabalik sa Pilipinas ng kaniyang inang OFW. Malalimang inilalarawan ng maikling pelikulang ito kung paano sinasalamin ang pangingibang-bansa, pangungulila sa piling ng ina, distansiya at ang epekto nito sa emosyonal na aspeto, mula sa perspektibang kultural. Sa gayon, pinapakita sa Severance ang paglalim ng relasyon sa mga nalalapit sa buhay at ang lalong pagkilala at pagtanggap sa sarili. Ginamit sa pag-aaral ang komponanteng awtoetnograpiko, isang kwalitatibong metodo na nagpapahintulot sa pagtatasa ng mga resulta nang intelektuwal at emosyonal, kaakibat ang hangarin para sa pagtatapos ng ugnayan sa kontekstong pampamilya. Ang mga nakalap na datos mula sa kolektibong karanasan ng mga mag-aaral ang naging batayan sa pagbuo ng balangkas, mga karakter, tono, at susing tema ng pelikula.
1080P. MP4 file.
Abstract Format
html
Language
English
Format
Electronic
Keywords
Adolescence--Philippines; Mother and child--Philippines; Coming-of-age films--Philippines
Recommended Citation
San Jose, A. N., Perez, A. D., & Soliman, M. U. (2025). Severance. Retrieved from https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_comm/196
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Embargo Period
12-5-2025
