Pondering the Pond: The Tale of A Rainbow Fish
Written by Rob Carlo V. Elle • Board by John Ivan Pasion | 12 October 24
Beneath the serenely swirling stream of “Sitio Mapayapa”, lies a hocus-pocus hearsay about a fish that everyone regards as distinct and bizarre. People called it “Isdang Kulay Bahaghari” (Rainbow Fish) because the appearance of its body, such as its tail, head, and scale, corresponds to every single color of the rainbow.
In Sitio Mapayapa, they not only talk about how unusual this “rainbow fish” looks; they also condemn it by cultural hearsays with its detrimental and pervasive effects of it to their community.
As the sailing story of this rainbow fish continues to flow, unravels the turning tides that the film intends to underscore–“Ang Alamat Ng Isdang Kulay Bahaghari” (The Tale of A Rainbow Fish).
Diving into the Pond of the Rainbow Fish
In the vivid minds of Dalayday Productions, a group of young communication student filmmakers from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) revived the existence of the rainbow fish.
It follows the stream of the overrunning “Lubak River” of Sitio Mapayapa where the intensely luminescent colors of the rainbow fish shines, however, most refuse to see its beauty as it is culturally perceived as a bad omen. Many believe that if you saw one, even by merely a glance, you’ll be dragged and drowned in the river. Once you resurface, you’ll bring bad luck to the whole community.
Then comes a group of young elementary students Mabel (Sabrina Capinpin), Nhemo (Patrick Angeles), and Jissa (Zoey Madison Lim) who begin to dive deeper into the secrets of the legend of the rainbow fish for a school project. They voyaged the Lubak River with the hope of seeing the rainbow fish but for naught, instead, they suddenly heard a crippling cry from a child named “Yoyot” (Lucas Martin). Holding a blonde Barbie doll wearing a cunningly vibrant blue and orange colored dress, Yoyot’s head and eyes are directed to the ground as he puts into words the primary reason why he was sobbing along riverbanks.
The firm initiative and desire of Mabel, Nhemo, and Jissa, helped them decipher that the rainbow fish does not only swim beneath the Lubak River of Sitio Mapayapa–it lives through it.
A ponder in the pond
Unbeknownst to many, this “Rainbow Fish” and Yoyot exist even outside the waters of the Lubak River, they are collectively known to live in vibrance against the dullness of the society’s conforming standards as they bring color to their own selves–the LGBTQIA+ community.
Just like the rainbow fish’s tail, body, and scale, what makes this community intensely luminescent are their orientation, identity, and expression.
The short film “Ang Alamat ng Isdang Kulay Bahaghari” (Tale of A Rainbow Fish) elucidates a figurative scenery in the daily lives and struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community and the society that grapples them with their “heteronormative” standards and shallow-minded beliefs.
The cultural basis of the mystic “Rainbow Fish” in Sitio Mapayapa also metaphorically underscores how Filipino society views and pikes their prejudice towards the LGBTQIA+ community.
Overly stressed lines such as “Bakla yan pero...”, “Sama ka kasi nang sama sa mga 'yan, kaya naging kagaya ka na rin nila", "Wag ka masyadong babakla-bakla!" are just one of the numerous sharp words that gay people in the Philippines have to endure in their daily lives. These words stem from the negative roots of stereotypes that the Filipinos have long planted and cultivated such as the normative belief that gender identity is something that is “just acquired” through the people that surround you and will be “a certain phase” sooner or later; and being effeminately gay is something that should be “toned down.”
This short film encapsulates the collective problem of the LGBTQIA+ community through the magical tale of a “Rainbow Fish.” Along with the voyaging wonders of young children to discover something magical, equally mirroring the journey young queer people experience towards discovering their identities. Through this film, it got to enliven something that might be usually heard but not usually ventured.
The Tail of This Tale
There might be a tale about a “Rainbow Fish” swimming through the waters of Sitio Mapayapa’s Lubak River, but the stories and struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community will never remain as a tale nor a hocus-pocus hearsay. The mere reflection of this film emphasizes what a child like Yoyot experiences and its parallelism within the serene streams of the Lubak River.
In a world where a Rainbow Fish might exist, it is a dream not only for Yoyot but also for the whole LGBTQIA+ community that someday, there will be a cease to this pandemonium and the rainbow fish can paddle freely to its own pond, having a free space in the society.