A Faraway Land Movie Takeaways!

I just finished watching the movie, "A Faraway Land" and the main actors are Paolo Contis and Yen Santos. The setting of the movie is in Faroe Islands which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The story revolves around a Filipina, Mahjoy, who got married to a Faroeist and became successful because of her sacrifices, efforts, and dedication in putting up her own restaurant and food truck, and Nico, a documentarist who traveled all the way to Faroe Islands just to cover Mahjoy's success story.

I watched the film because it's been trending on my Facebook feed, and the rumors about the two lead stars even made me want to see the movie and be the judge even if I'm not a judge. Lol

To be honest, I didn't like the story and it feels like I just wasted my time watching it. It's like an overcoated cheating story. However, I liked how it ended as the main character chose to do the right thing.

In this article, I'm going to share some of the lessons I have learned from watching the movie, A Faraway Land. I don't want to spoil you so I will try not to go into the small details. Here it is!

1. "No Choice eh!"

• Majhoy's favorite expression or excuse every time she is asked what made her fall in love with her Faroeist husband, she would say, "No choice eh!" And at some point, by her reasoning, you would know why she married her husband. Perhaps, it's for her to live a better life in Faroese than in the Philippines. This side of the story reflects what is becoming common nowadays and that is getting married to someone you don't truly love for the sake of security and better social status, or to be lifted from the mud of poverty, or for more opportunities.

• I can't agree that Majhoy had no choice because she had and her choice is choosing to be practical. As she and her other friends in the movie said, "What is Love?" "Can you eat it? (Nakakain ba yun?)"

• I remember I had a small talk with @Eybyoung on noise.cash before about this topic, choosing between "true love" and "being practical". I said before that if I can't find true love (does it exist? Charot!) then I'll just be practical. However, if you're just going to marry for money or for the sense of having a secured future, there is and will always be an implication with this choice, which might also lead you to cheating to your husband, just like what happened in the movie.

2. "Pera niya, pera niya. Pera ko, pera ko." (His money is his, my money is mine.)

• This is about the couple and how they manage their finances. I bet even Filipino couples are doing this. Majhoy never asks money from his husband. They mind their own business. Majhoy provides fo herself and she has to work three jobs, the fish factory, the restaurant, and the food truck.

• Since I'm still single, I find this set-up ideal. It's not like removing the sense of responsibility to the guy who should be providing for her wife, but it's giving yourself the sense of pride and honor that you get to provide for yourself without depending on your husband's pocket. It's also ideal so that there would be no problem to arise between the couples on how they spend their money. It's being independent.

• But then, when you are already married, you should work as a team and not as competitors. You should be there when your partner needs you and vice versa.

3. "When the cat is away, the mouse will play."

• I admire Majhoy for being a "superwoman" as what she calls herself, but I can't help but to hate her for cheating on her husband over a guy whom she just knew for 6 days. Indeed, when the cat is away, the mouse will play.

• When you cheat, there are consequences that follows. Majhoy forgot about her responsibility as a mother because she was busy playing around with a man. And when you're cheating, you are being selfish because you only think about yourself and your happiness, and neglect your family. You may be happy, but you're also hurting someone else. In the end, all of you will just get hurt when you don't get to choose what makes you happy.

4. She is her own prince charming.

• Aside from the beautiful location of the movie, this is my favorite part. Mahjoy is her own prince charming because she have everything she has now as she worked hard for them. She did not ask them from her husband, instead, she put them all up. She worked in the fish factory as her day job just so she has personal funds to keep her businesses running, which is the restaurant and the food truck. She's the one who saved and pulled herself up from the mud of poverty through her efforts, sacrifices, dedication, and hard work. And I aspire to be a woman like her. (but not on the cheating part. lol)

• And for that, I will be my own prince charming and not depend on anyone.

Well, I didn't like the story as it's not as moving as I expected it to be, but there surely are lessons to learn from it.

If you haven't watched the movie, I don't recommend you to see it, but if you are curious just like how I was, you can still watch it on Netflix. Enjoy!