ALDRIN M.

PAULINO BSN 2A

MY SISTER’S KEEPER
Movie Reflection

This movie can be used as an example of what happens between families when there is a
breakdown in communication. As such, family members and other individuals must always
remember to keep an open mind while communicating with others. In the family setting
especially, it is very important to be able to effectively communicate thoughts, feelings and
emotions. The family in this film did not maintain a confirming communication climate and
because of this, they were unable to understand each other’s emotions and thus created more
stress than was necessary in the difficult period they were going through.

There are many influences that play on our emotions and because of this, it can be difficult to
grasp exactly what they are and/or what they mean. Our emotions are influenced by
physiological, perceptual and social factors that all have an effect on why we experience the
emotions we do and how we react to these feelings. In the movie, the ailing sister, Kate, feels as
though she does not want to live anymore, hence her decision to ask her sister not to help her.
The feeling this brings to the entire family, although they do not all know Kate’s secret, is utter
sadness. There are many reasons  why Kate may not have shared her emotions with her family,
the most obvious being the frantic state of her overbearing mother who will stop at nothing to
see her daughter return to full health.

These are all very understandable reason that many people struggle with on a daily basis. In
Kate’s case, her decision not to disclose her feelings to her parents was in fact to protect them,
especially her mother. There is no doubt that her mother would be greatly saddened by the
news that her daughter no longer wanted to live and such a feeling would put pressure on the
young girl and discourage her from sharing how she really felt. One of the guidelines to
effectively communicate emotions is to thoroughly own your feelings. Adopting emotions as
the way you feel and using statements to express these feelings is a very important aspect of
communication. What many people in difficult situations are unaware of is that it is okay to
voice these feelings. Having concerns and being assertive helps invaluably in difficult situations
as this can be done in congruence with maintaining respect for the other person and their
feelings.