Feminist Criticism of Bekikang: Ang Nanay Kong Beki

The film Bekikang: Ang Nanay Kong Beki is a 2013 Filipino drama comedy film with an LGBTQ theme,
which was directed by Wenn V. Deramas. The film is about Bekikang who’s left and abandoned with a
baby boy by his friend Fortunato. He loves and raises the child as his flesh and blood. Years later, when
things are going quite well between Bekikang and the boy, Fortunato and the boy’s mother, Natalie,
reappear and want to take him back. The writer narrates Natalie as a woman who is focused primarily on
her looks and obsession with wealth. If one looks at Wenn V. Deramas’ “Bekikang: Ang Nanay Kong
Beki” on its own, the moral of the story is that being a family is not about blood, it is by heart as stated in
the film. However, looking at it from a feminist lens gives way to a whole other interpretation. The
feminist theory would argue that the way how women are portrayed in the film is what creates Natalie’s
flawed character.

This film is about Bekikang who met Fortunato, and he believed that it was love at first sight. They then
become really good friends until Fortunato met Natalie. Fortunato falls madly in love with Natalie and not
long after, she gave birth to a child named Potpot. In this film, Natalie decides to leave Fortunato and her
child behind just to fulfill her dreams of going to Japan, while Fortunato is also planning of going abroad
to support their child financially. Fortunato seeks the help of Bekikang and leaves Potpot to him. From a
feminist perspective, Women are usually associated with negative traits, whereas men are usually
associated with more positive traits.

Bekikang: Ang Nanay Kong Beki, though not overly feminist is, in fact, somehow highlights Natalie’s
negative traits such as being rude, lack of empathy, and selfishness. Fortunato, on the other hand, is an
actual hardworking man and makes many sacrifices for their child. Using feminist theory, this could be
interpreted as a comment on how society values men and their accomplishments over women.

After a few years, Bekikang finds out that Fortunato and Natalie are living in luxury and she is
demanding Potpot’s custody. The writer presented the women as unsympathetic. He depicts men who
sacrifice endlessly for their wives and children. While the wife is unsympathetic, the husband is depicted
as hardworking and affectionate. The feminist theory states the writer’s misogynistic portrayal of women
when Potpot decided to run away to look for Beki which led him to a serious accident that would put the
blame on Natalie.
Natalie is portrayed by the author as a woman obsessed with her appearance and wealth. According to
feminist theory, Natalie's flawed character is created by the way women are portrayed in the film. This
could be viewed as a statement on how society rewards males and their accomplishments above women,
according to feminist theory. Women tend to be linked with negative characteristics, whilst men are
typically associated with more positive characteristics. From a feminist perspective, blaming women
demonstrates the author's misogynistic image of women.