Date of Publication

12-1-2025

Document Type

Bachelor's Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Major in Communication Arts

Subject Categories

Film and Media Studies

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Communication

Thesis Advisor

Fatrick Tabada

Defense Panel Chair

Bruno Lovric

Defense Panel Member

Kristoffer G. Brugada
Nathaniel M. Arciaga
Laui Guico

Abstract (English)

This study explores the psychological and emotional dimensions of love and dementia through the live-action short film Alas Kwatro y Medya; thus, the film seeks to reconceptualize dementia as a realm where love, dedication, and emotional bonds persist despite the erosion of memories, diverting from conventional clinical and tragic portrayals. The story takes loose inspiration from the real-life experiences of Lola Delia, whose moments of forgetfulness and selective memory sparked the idea for the film. The rest of the narrative—featuring characters like Vergillius and Juanito—emerges from the writer’s creative imagination, exploring how memory can cling to certain people while letting others fade, and how love can endure even in the quiet spaces of forgetting. Juanito is patient and committed to her even though she can't remember him.

This study aims to explore how media might influence public opinion, foster empathy, and fulfill the emotional needs of viewers, particularly those aged 21 to 35, via the lens of Framing Theory, the Ethics of Care, and Uses and Gratifications Theory, also, the film’s use of non-linear storytelling, chosen flashbacks, and symbolic items as memory anchors shows how memory is broken up and selective, and the main premise is that "what the mind forgets, the heart remembers."

Alas Kwatro y Medya is a short film that is twenty-one minutes and 52 seconds long and was shot on location in San Juan and Rosario, Batangas. Alas, the use of natural light, close-ups, and straightforward sound design are employed in order to provide an environment that is characterized by realism, presence, and emotional resonance. This film is also available in 1080p MP4 format, and despite the prism of love that endures despite sadness, dementia, and the passage of time, the film presents an examination of memory, commitment, and human connection, and it is also considered to be culturally relevant, empathetic, and amusing.

Keywords: Dementia, Romantic Drama, Memory, Filipino Culture, Emotional Continuity, Ethics of Care, Non-Linear Narrative, Short Film

Abstract Format

html

Abstract (Filipino)

Ang pag-aaral na ito ay sumasaliksik sa sikolohikal at emosyonal na dimensyon ng pag-ibig at demensya sa pamamagitan ng live-action na maikling pelikulang Alas Kwatro y Medya. Layunin ng pelikula na muling ilarawan ang demensya bilang isang espasyo kung saan ang pag-ibig, dedikasyon, at emosyonal na ugnayan ay nananatili sa kabila ng unti-unting pagkawala ng alaala, na lumilihis sa karaniwang klinikal at malungkot na paglalarawan. Hinango ang kuwento sa totoong karanasan ni Lola Delia. Minsan kasi, bigla na lang siyang nakakalimot o may mga alaala siyang pili lamang na kanyang na aalala—at doon nagsimulang tumubo ang ideya ng pelikula. Ang ibang bahagi ng kwento, kasama sina Vergillius at Juanito, ay bunga na ng imahinasyon ng manunulat. Sinusubukan nitong ipakita kung paanong may mga taong matitira sa alaala kahit lumilipas ang panahon, at paanong ang pag-ibig, minsan, nananatili kahit sa gitna ng unti-unting pagkalimot. Si Juanito ay matiyaga at tapat sa kanya kahit na hindi siya naaalala ni Estring.

Layunin ng pag-aaral na ito na suriin kung paano maaaring makaapekto ang media sa opinyon ng publiko, magtaguyod ng empatiya, at matugunan ang emosyonal na pangangailangan ng mga manonood, partikular ng mga nasa edad 21 hanggang 35, sa pamamagitan ng lente ng Framing Theory, Ethics of Care, at Uses and Gratifications Theory. Ginamit ng pelikula ang hindi linear na pagsasalaysay, piling flashback, at mga simbolikong bagay bilang pang-alaala upang ipakita ang pira-piraso at selektibong katangian ng memorya, habang ipinapahayag ang pangunahing kaisipan: “What the mind forgets, the heart remembers.”

Ang Alas Kwatro y Medya ay isang maikling pelikula na may dalawampu't isang minuto at limampu't dalawang segundo ang haba at itinanghal sa mga lokasyon sa San Juan at Rosario, Batangas. Ginamit dito ang natural na ilaw, malalapit na kuha, at payak na disenyo ng tunog upang lumikha ng kapaligirang realistiko, may presensya, at emosyonal na tumatagos sa manonood. Ginawa rin ang pelikula sa 1080p MP4 format, at sa kabila ng pagtalakay sa pag-ibig na nagpapatuloy sa kabila ng lungkot, demensya, at paglipas ng panahon, ipinapakita ng pelikula ang pagsusuri sa memorya, katapatan, at koneksyong pantao, at itinuturing na may kultural na kabuluhan, empatiya, at damdaming pumupukaw sa manonood.

Mga Keyword: Demensya, Romantikong Drama, Memorya, Kulturang Pilipino, Emosyonal na Pagpapatuloy, Ethics of Care, Hindi Linear na Pagsasalaysay, Maikling Pelikula

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Keywords

Dementia; Romance films; Short films

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Embargo Period

12-4-2025

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