Release Date: 13 February 2008 (Philippines)

Director: Jason Reitman

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Tagline:
A comedy about growing up... and the bumps along the way.

Official Movie Website:


Casts:

 

 

Juno is an indie-film about the issues surrounding teenage pregnancy in the US. There are obvious differences between Filipino and American way of responding to this problem. But still, women in Juno's situation suffer the same kind of guilt. So, I dedicate the following piece to all young unwedded mothers (including soon-to-be's) for the inner battles and social stigma they get for being in this situation.

Yeah, it's kinda late for me to watch the movie, Juno. Nevertheless, having been in Juno's predicament once gave me a strong sense of connection to this film.

I wasn't as young as Juno when I was thrust in an unexpected pregnancy. Juno was sixteen but I was already 22 - older but all the same, unprepared. The first time I discovered I was pregnant - it felt like my once very colorful world became a black and white abyss. Juno took three pregnancy tests, I remembered taking four - just to be sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me.

The movie's plot is simple but very effective in conveying the message, "What does your conscience tells you?" When Juno was 104% convince she was pregnant - she had to choose whether to terminate or continue her child-bearing state. Given the alternatives, I was surprised Juno didn't choose the easy way out which is abortion. I was expecting she would since she wasn't the "girly-girly" type but a rock-addict, punk-loving teenager. (Just imagine, even on her last term, she was still wearing cargo pants and carrying her dirty-looking sling bag - the very picture of a hippy mom.) She did go to an abortion clinic; but when a pro-life activist insisted that the baby in her womb have fingers already, Juno's conscience won the battle.

Being able to listen to one's inner voice is a big challenge in this age of noise. I would say we need to balance the time to hide from our inner struggles by listening to cool music and time to take off the headphones and face our battles. We cannot always run from our problems same as we are not at all times prepared to solve them.

We may not agree with Juno's idea of having her baby adopted after it's born but somehow, I find it a better choice than murdering someone's defenseless. She was sure she was not capable of taking care of the child and even her parents were not prepared too. This is different from our culture but I still appreciated her parents' all-out support for her. They displayed the difference between reacting and responding.

Did Juno really have her baby adopted? Did her boyfriend take responsibility for Juno and their baby? Find out by grabbing a copy of the film and enjoy the film with a bowl of popcorn!

The story of Juno is a not a new piece one but until we learn from her mistakes, the movie will forever remain a classic story of faith, hope and love.

***BTW, a few months after I gave birth, my boyfriend married me. It doesn't always end this way. So if you are currently into pre-marital sex or planning to, think again. For one night of sin, I lost a part of my freedom and embraced new responsibilities I wasn't ready to face.