Beauty in Darkness is a documentary of four short stories portraying difficult situations that people in Gumaca are suffering from, a typical scenario of a dark reality occurring in different parts of the world.
It is in the most challenging situations that the intangible is hardest to recognize. However, the people in the movie demonstrate that the beautiful qualities are truly inherent in people despite of darkness.
The movie is divided into four chapters and the fifth as a conclusion.
Chapter 1: A Mountain of Compassion –Volunteer teachers showed compassion for the children who are not even their own by sacrificing their salary, time and effort. This makes one ask, where does this level of compassion come from?
Chapter 2: Junks of happiness- Horrific living condition is an everyday reality for parents and children who are sifting garbage to survive. In the midst of it all, laughter will be heard all around while working energetically. Where on earth does this sparks of happiness come from?
Chapter 3: Unimpaired strength - A grandmother takes care of three disabled children. (Mentally disabled, physically disabled and deaf) Two of them were abandoned by parents. Everyday struggle for all of them to survive didn't take her strength down. She must be a real life superwoman.
Chapter 4: A Young Hope – A high school student who is smart but none of his parents can support his education. However oblivious is this child's future, he kept his hope high and determination to succeed.
Chapter 5: Life – Aileen, the director of the movie, celebrated her birthday with the garbage people. A simple act of kindness easily triggered the joy and laughter among them.
How these people manage to be happy despite of their condition remains a mystery for Aileen who had been a long time pessimist and is just starting to open her eyes to the beauty of things.
The movie does not only serve as a reminder to focus on the intangible human virtues as an advantage to recreate a beautiful world but also give the socially invisible a voice.
The cause of their suffering whether they should be blamed for their fate or be pitied as victims of a corrupt system is not tackled for it requires superhuman understanding in order to justify the present condition of mankind. There is an intelligent force running this whole show of Life in which man could only theorize, if not come close to the absolute truth.
Whatever the situation is, it is proven that the light within the heart of man will always shine and the inner beauty is the kind that never fades.
Darkness is essential to our growth. But it is also through it that we cultivate our beauty.
“We can rise from the darkness we are in. We can recreate a whole new world knowing our light and strength is there to never shrink our experiences into fear but expand ourselves with love, care, peace, harmony, strength and the list of beautiful qualities within never ends” – Aileen Collo Amparo
Watch the full film here: http://www.beautyindarkness.org