Panopio, Janry D.

11-25-19
11411121 Bavid
Give Up Tomorrow Film Critical Analysis

Give Up Tomorrow is a film about revealing the corruption in the judicial system of the
Philippines. The story is all about a college student named Paco Larranaga who is accused for rape
and murder of two Chinese-Filipino girls, whom their family have political connections with the
philippine president. Mrs. Chiong, who is the mother of the two Chinese-Filipino girls manipulated
the media using her advantage with her connections to accused an unknown suspect for raping and
murdering her children. Paco Larranaga, is a Filipino-Spanish student from a wealthy family who
was accused for rape and murder and was convicted in 1999 as the main suspect for double murder
and rape two sisters in the Philippines. Paco was in Manila when the crimes took place in Cebu,
according to 35 witnesses which gives a strange accusation for Paco Larranaga. Paco was
sentenced to death for the accusation of rape and murder, despite overwhelming evidence of his
innocence. This shows that the justice system here in the Philippines is very unfair.
The documentary film is different, it is not just a documentary that shows injustice but also
shows movement for change to those who never stop believing in Paco’s innocence. The
documentary’s strongest scene are those that featured real footages from the prolonged trial, edited
together with various interviews from different witnesses, legal practitioners, and emotional
relatives that shows the intensity of the current situation of the problems and issues with the justice
system in the Philippines. It also exposes the flaws of a judicial system through the experiences of
Paco, it exposes the enormous cracks of any system or institution tasked to retain both order and
justice that is created and run by corruptible men. The film was skillfully presented pieces of
evidence that pertains to the alleged miscarriage of justice to the judiciary system.
The film is difficult to run through. It is immensely heartbreaking, balancing the endless
pain of seeing an entire system that for years has been entrusted by the public to set things right
shamelessly crumble and being asked to accept the very possible reality that an innocent man has
wasted his best years in jail. The miscarriage of justice to the judiciary system fooled the public
people, especially the influence of Mrs. Chiong to the media. For a time, it was seen as a victory
from the justice system. For that very little time with the media, in the guise of being one with the
overwhelming majority, was celebrating the delusory end to all questions and issues, the country
had a sense that there is indeed order.