Resilience in Silence and Shadows: Adversity and Triumph Narratives of Pwd Characters in Contemporary Philippine Cinema
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ijsscs.v2i2.7776Keywords:
Crip Theory, Disability Representation, Philippine Cinema, PwdsAbstract
This paper aims to explore the portrayal of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in selected contemporary Philippine films that focus on stories of systemic exclusion, psychological resilience and social agency. The study is qualitative and employs content analysis to elucidate key moments in the films that foreground disability as a social and cultural experience, with a focus on Love Child (2024), The Trial (2014), and The Delivery Rider (2025). The approach to the analysis is based on Social Model of Disability, Psychological Resilience Theory, and Crip Theory. Results indicate that films create disability as a product of barriers of attitude, institution, environment, and communication. Love Child focuses on family, medical and educational systems that make inclusion optional; The Trial showcases a dysfunctional legal system that is a disabling environment for neurodivergent communication; and The Delivery Rider analyzes workplaces and urban environments designed for neurotypical productivity. In parallel, the films depict resilience as an interpersonal and situational phenomenon, one that is sustained through family bonds and ethical commitment, caring and connection to the community, and future-oriented hope. By using the films in Crip Theory, the authors and creators of those films challenge the representation based on pity and consider the PWD characters as agents who can resist normalization and demand recognition, accommodation, and dignity. The study can help cinema in the Philippines and disability studies in general to demonstrate that contemporary films can serve as cultural critiques of ableism and can be calls for a more inclusive social imagination.s in Philippine society. At the same time, these characters demonstrate resilience through internal protective factors and adaptive coping mechanisms, which influence how they navigate and overcome adversity. The films also portray PWDs as challenging compulsory able-bodiedness and rejecting pity-based narratives through their demand for recognition, accommodation, and inclusion. The study concludes that contemporary Philippine cinema is gradually shifting toward more empowering and socially grounded representations of disability, presenting PWD characters as individuals capable of resilience, dignity, and social change.
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