Search for greener pastures

DIAZ. Helms documentary about Filipina teachers.

MANILA, Philippines – Last August 14, we caught Ramona Diaz’s “The Learning” at Power Plant. The documentary follows four Filipina teachers, Dorotea Godinez, Rhea Espedido, Grace Amper and Angel Alim, as they embarked on a yearlong teaching stint in Baltimore, USA.

In the film, loneliness and cultural differences creep into the subjects’ hearts as they practice their profession far away from their motherland.

Dorotea is the most entertaining of the four. She maintains a tough image in front of her unruly black students, but breaks down when she starts narrating, “This is my 24th year of teaching. It isn’t horrible, but it’s full of adjustments, disappointments and ill feelings. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts…”

Expenses

Grace left her husband and baby for greener pastures, but she’s still in debt.

Angel is considered her family’s “savior.” But, during a recent visit to Manila, she confronted her parents and siblings: “I cannot do it alone. I also have plans, and I have a life of my own!”

How does Diaz develop rapport with her subjects? She shares, “You’re with them constantly until they feel comfortable about the camera being a confessional—that’s what it becomes.”

She updates us, “Three of them are still teaching in Baltimore, but Angel has left to teach in Philadelphia. She got a great offer and is now married to her boyfriend.”

“The Learning” participated in the Sundance Documentary Edit and Story Lab, and debuted on PBS’ “POV (Documentaries with a Point-of-View)” program.

As for Diaz, she has just wrapped up her third documentary, “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey,” about the rock band’s lead singer, Arnel Pineda.