Eisenstein spelled it out in his essay, "The Cinematographic Principle and the Ideogram- "absolute realism is simply the function of a certain form of social structure. Here, we see a successful Filipina, who has lost her only child, and cannot have any more children.
Dra. Cita Reyes, whose son drowned along with her nephew, experiences a deep depression that ultimately affects everyone around her. The film is loyal to the Filipino value of close-knit families, and thus plays around this and adds conflict to come up with a story. How Cita deals with the death of her son has destroyed her relationship with her sister, her husband, her best friend, and cannot function properly as she stays up all night watching home movies and spends the day throwing catty remarks at everyone (let's not forget the mandatory tear gauge and slapping scenes "this is a Filipino drama film). She has virtually disowned her sister, made her nephew live with her (and coaxed him into calling her "mama-), her husband moves out of the house (and is convinced Cita does not give enough importance to him as much as he gives importance to her), and, of course, with much emotion, walks out on her best friend while in a restaurant. .
Are Cita's actions justifiable? As Eisenstein said with regard to haikus, it is up to the reader to accept the emotions being emitted by the film. As absolute realism depends on the social structure, how a private schooled, class A student perceives the film may not be the same for a public schooled, class D student. Someone who maybe has already experienced the loss of a child, or a close-minded viewer could say that Dra. Lita's actions (of taking possession of her nephew), and that lines such as "Ang buhay ay kapalit ng buhay (A life is replaced by another life)- are justifiable, as well as the fact that Cita has always helped Lisa out in life, while a philosophical or religious person may argue that taking someone's life is simply not acceptable just because one life has been lost (calling all anti-death row activists).
