FAILED FOREVERTHE MOVIE THAT THING CALLED TADHANA AND THE CULTIVATION THEORY

In partial fulfillment of our requirements in MCM 216

Mariah Therese AguilarCarla Joy BaldomarShalom Mae BelaguasGene Kim Evangelio

March 2015

The Movie That Thing Called Tadhana and the Cultivation Theory

Synopsis of the MovieMace (Angelica Panganiban), a girl struggling to meet the airlines baggage requirements, meets Anthony (JM De Guzman), a fellow Filipino who helped her carry her excessed baggage. The story starts with Anthony approaching Mace who was crying because of her plus-luggage. He offered Mace his extra baggage allowance since he was only carrying a few. Mace then agreed since theyre on the same flight and thats where their friendship started.Mace just gotten out of a relationship and was watching One More Chance while theyre on their way to Manila when she got too emotional.The reason of her tears was because of the plot of the movie, of which she can relate. All she can think of was his ex and the memories theyve had and the forever theyve promised each other. Anthony, sitting awkwardly beside her, thought that she needed tissue for all her tears so he asked for some from the stewardess but Mace tried to reject it although she accepted it in the end. While waiting for a cab when they reached Manila, Mace went bitter after seeing a sweet couple. She exclaimed that they two will break up in the end. Anthony just didnt mind her bitterness and instead asked her out to eat lunch.They were in the middle of their lunch when a womans phone rang and Mace turned bitter again because the ring tone of the phone was Tadhana, a love song. She was so bitter that she yelled at the woman to answer her ringing phone. Both of them stayed at the restaurant until night time and Mace finally decided to tell him the story of her broken relationship. Mace, justifying her bitterness, cries as she talks about her recent break up. She told Anthony than she came all the way from the Philippines to Italy to surprise his boyfriend of 8 years Marco (JM Basco), only to find out that he was already with someone else. Even if he was caught in act cheating, Marco sweet-talked Mace saying that the girl he was with was just a friend and an officemate. Love blinding her, Mace believed it even its doubtful. After quite some time of her stay in Italy, Marco finally told Mace that he doesnt love her anymore, that she could now leave. And thats when Maces world was shattered into pieces. Remembering all the memories and hopes of being together with her longtime boyfriend and now ex-boyfriend, made her want to go for a drink so they went to a karaoke bar and Mace was once again emotional as she sings Where do broken hearts go? She was too emotional to function so Anthony finished the song for her. It was probably the alcohol and her unstable emotion that made her ask Anthony to come with her in Baguio. On their way to Baguio, Mace was crying again because the movie Dont Give Up On Us was being showed at the bus. This was the movie that they(Mace & Marco) watched when they first held hands. Another thing that made her dramatic was because this movie had a happy ending, taking her hopes in love even higher.When Mace and Anthony reached Baguio, they went to a lot of tourist spot. They came to visit a museum, an art gallery, a spa, they also walked down the streets of Baguio, enjoyed a bonfire and admired the beautiful mountains of Sagada. They talked nonstop and almost shared everything they knew about themselves. Anthony told Mace about his course(Fine Arts) at UP before his job and Mace shared about the story that she wrote way back in college. Mace joked Anthony to illustrate the story that she wrote because its been a long time since Anthony havent created things like those. They just felt comfortable with each other and this is where things were changing because all the adventures they had made them closer and undeniably like the company of each other. A new love story technically arrived.Anthony sent Mace off to her house after their unexpected trip in Baguio. To their surprise, Marco was there with a bouquet of flowers waiting for Mace. Everything fell into silence for a while until Anthony introduced his self to Marco and bid her good-bye to Mace. It was painful for Anthony to see Marco and Mace talk but he had to give the both of them the chance to settle everything theyve left behind.With what he felt for Mace during the adventures they had, there was no way Anthony was giving up on a love that just started. Even if Marco was back from Italy, he was still willing to prove his love to Mace so he surprised her. He made an illustration of the story written by Mace and published it and gave it to her. And this is where the happy ending of Mace was achieved.

Cultivation Theory The Cultivation Theory claims that television cultivates, or promotes, a view of social reality that is inaccurate, but that viewers nonetheless assume reflects real life. According to the theory, the synthetic reality of television shapes heavy viewers attitudes, beliefs, and action (Gerbner, 1990; Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, &Signorielli, 1986; Signorielli& Morgan, 1990).Cultivation refers to the cumulative process by which television fosters about social reality. The word cumulative is important to understand cultivation. Theorists dont argue that a particular program has significant effects on viewers beliefs and world view. By extension, the more television a person watches, the more distorted her or his ideas of life are likely to be. Simply put, the theory claims that television cumulatively cultivates a synthetic worked view that heavyviewers are like to assume represents reality.

That Thing Called Tadhana and Cultivation TheoryPeople often believe that someday their lives would end up like in the movies where theres a happy ever after. Cultivation theory explains how we assume reality. In Maces situation, she was relating herself in the movie One More Chance. Her mindset was cultivated to think that there was a possibility that her ex-boyfriend will come back to her like in the movie.Mediated views of relationship cultivate unrealistic ideas of what a normal relationship is. Cultivation theory also states that, few people are confused what they see on television and real life. Mace became a martyr even she was really hurt when she caught her boyfriend having an affair to another woman. But then, like on the movies, she still believes that it was just an officemate of her boyfriend because of their 8 year relationship. Another explanation of theory is that the world view is resonance, which is the extent to which something is congruent with personal experience. Mace always reminisce her memories with her ex-boyfriend on some film and thinks that it really happened to her or will really happen to her. On their way to Baguio, when a film was played she said to Anthony that she wants to cry because she remember her ex-boyfriend. It just shows that she was affected by television or what the television shows. It simply shows that the television may ruin our perspective about reality. The more television a person watches, the more distorted her or his ideas of life are likely to be. Simply put, the theory claims that television cumulatively cultivates a syntethic world view that heavy viewers are likely to assume represents reality.

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