A father's opus

MANILA, Philippines - Some movies are really such a gem. Just when you thought that you know every scene of a favorite film by heart, you’ll be surprised to find a new lesson or two from it every time you watch it over again. Such characteristic is found in what we consider as an all-time classic films.

One good example is the 1995 American drama Mr. Holland’s Opus starring Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl, 1977) who portrayed the life of Glenn Holland, a music teacher at the fictional John F. Kennedy High School in Portland, Oregon.

I was still in college when I first saw this flick with my best college buddy Yenan during a sleepover. Both of us loved the film not only because of the great story but also for the fact that the main character is a fan of The Beatles, arguably the greatest rock band of all time. Yenan and I were band mates, seatmates, partners in crime and BFFFs (Big Fab Four Fans) so for us, Mr. Holland rocks!

During those times that we only care about how we can save money from our meager P35 daily allowance to get a cassette copy of the albums of Eraserheads (many considered as the pinoy Beatles), the Dreyfuss starrer became an inspiration to hopeful and struggling musician (that includes us) to strive harder and continue to dream.

In the movie, Mr. Holland is a talented musician and composer who has been relatively successful as a professional musical performer but was forced to accept a teaching position to enjoy more free time with his young wife, Iris (Glenne Headly) and to enable him to compose his dream piece of orchestral music. However, he soon realized that his position as a music teacher makes him a marginalized figure in the faculty’s hierarchy. He would get the cold shoulder from other teachers and school heads who don’t agree with his goals or just simply because he “only” teaches music.

A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to catch Mr. Holland’s Opus again over HBO. It was more than a decade ago when I first saw the film. This time, I watched it not just as a music fan or someone who once fantasized leading a band on stage. I was sitting alone in our living room that Sunday morning sharing the same sentiments with Mr. Holland as a father. I felt the frustration of his character when his son Cole was diagnosed as severely hearing impaired.   Just imagine how you would feel if you’re a music teacher who has taught hundreds of students the beauty of sounds through the years and you’ll find out one day that your child actually never heard all the lullabies and nursery rhymes you sang to him.

I was also a hurting father in 2007. My first child died 12 hours after she was born due to her weak condition. She never got to hear the song I composed especially for her. Devastated is an understatement to describe how I felt then, something that I still feel to this day every time I remember my beloved Monique and her soft and fragile body which I only got to hold for a few hours. 

But like Mr. Holland, I need to be strong for my wife. I know that if there is any other person that would feel more pain than me, it would be her. Two years after that unfortunate event in our lives, God answered our prayers and He gave us Charles who gave a new meaning to my life. My son redefined almost every belief and thoughts I had about my existence. Life became more beautiful when he came. Fatherhood rocks!

For Mr. Holland, he too got his prayers answered. On the day music icon John Lennon died, which the professor considers as one of the worst days of his life, he got into an argument with his son, who even called him an asshole (Yup. You’ll learn the sign language of the word in the movie). Through this incident, Mr. Holland found out that Cole was also a fan of Lennon and the Beatles. He realized that his son found a way to discover music by sitting on a wooden speaker. All the while, he thought that being a deaf-mute was a hopeless case in terms of music appreciation. Quite ironic for someone who teaches the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers in history who lost his hearing but continued to marvel the world through his amazing works.

This sequence paved way to a touching performance of Mr. Holland during a program in Cole’s special school. He apologized to his son and sang Beautiful Boy, a song written by John Lennon for his second son, Sean, who he had with Yoko Ono. I don’t know with other fathers but I was teary eyed while watching this scene. My favorite line in the song is “every day and in every way I am getting better and better.” This is a promised I’d like to fulfill for my son.

After 30 years of teaching at Kennedy High, Mr. Holland was forced to leave the school after hearing the sad news that the school board will eliminate music in the curriculum because of budget cuts, thereby leading to his release at the age of 60.

On his final day as a teacher, Mr. Holland was led to the school auditorium to the surprise of his life. Hearing that their beloved teacher is leaving, hundreds of his pupils have secretly returned to the school to celebrate his life. Mr. Holland’s orchestral piece, never before heard in public, has been put before the musicians by his wife and son. One of his most musically challenged students, Gertrude Lang, who he untiringly taught how to play a clarinet, has become governor of the state. Gertrude and the other alumni ask the retiring teacher to serve as their conductor for the premiere performance of The American Symphony Orchestra as they play Mr. Holland’s masterpiece. It was a perfect ending to an illustrious career.

I also dream that someday I would finally reach my goals in life. For now, I just want to enjoy being a father to my son Charles, my most precious opus.  

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