Today I watched a movie about earthquakes called Aftershock (2010). I've been trying to understand the double earthquake that occurred in Venezuela, to investigate the reasons for this great tragedy, and to learn which countries have suffered from this catastrophic event. This was a very painful event for my country, and I believe that learning about these types of events will help us prepare in case they happen again.
Double earthquakes are not very common; in fact, they have only happened in a few countries, and when they do occur, they leave behind much pain and tragedy.
In this movie, based on real events, I will talk about the earthquake that occurred in China on July 28, 1976, at 3:42 a.m. Just like in the movie, the vast majority of the population was asleep in their beds, which made it all the more lethal and horrific. It had a magnitude of 7.5 to 7.8 and struck directly beneath a densely populated city built on unstable soil with brick buildings lacking seismic reinforcement—very similar to the buildings in the areas affected by the double earthquake that occurred this past June 24 in Venezuela.
The first 20 minutes of the film depict total destruction with utterly painful and terrifying images. The story introduces us to the main characters: Li Yuanni, a happy mother with her seven-year-old twin children, Fang Deng (a girl) and Fang Da (a boy). In the middle of the night, a massive earthquake destroys the city in a matter of seconds. Her husband dies trying to save the children.
At dawn, rescuers find the two twins trapped under a massive concrete slab. The rescuers tell the mother they cannot save both children and that she must choose which one she wants them to bring out, as removing one body will inevitably crush the other. The rescuers demand an immediate decision from the mother. Pressed by time and grief, Yuanni whispers, "Save the boy." She doesn't know that her daughter, Fang Deng, is conscious under the rubble and perfectly hears her mother "abandoning" her. What Fang Deng doesn't know is that it was one of the most difficult decisions her mother had to make at that moment.
Fang Da (the son): Survives but loses an arm. He grows up overprotected by his mother, who lives consumed by guilt, refusing to leave the ruins of Tangshan in case the souls of her husband and daughter return.
Fang Deng (the daughter): Miraculously survives the rescue and awakens among the corpses. Traumatized by her mother's rejection, she remains silent about her identity and is adopted by a couple of soldiers in the People's Liberation Army.
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It's a film with a very strong emotional impact, where the daughter, after 32 years, has never been able to overcome her mother's abandonment. Fang Da (the son) has lived with the guilt for a long time, but at the same time, he's the one who has managed to support his mother and give her strength. The mother, Yuanni, never recovered from that tragedy and from losing her daughter and her husband.
When they reunite after 32 years, they manage to close that cycle of resentment and forgiveness. From an emotional point of view, it wasn't easy to watch this film because, as a mother, you don't know what to do in a situation like that. It must be incredibly difficult to choose between the life of one of your children. These kinds of tragedies test us and make us more human. In Venezuela, many families are still fighting for their lives under the rubble; many of them will not see the light of day tomorrow, and that fills every Venezuelan mother with immense sorrow.
I invite @arribaeltelon @sacra97 @robotgirl2024 to participate in this contest held by the #scroblelife community and @wiseagent https://peakd.com/hive-110713/@wiseagent/contest-scrobble-life-movies-with-memories-dxk#@cositav/re-contest-scrobble-life-movies-w-1782864969818
I used Google Translate (my native language is Spanish).
Rating: 60/100
