'Tililing' Alt Poster Goes Viral For Showing Many Faces of Mental Illness
A support group of people with mental disabilities recreated the controversial movie poster of 'Tililing' to counter stereotypes against their community it supposedly espouses.
In a Facebook post, Anxiety and Depression Support Philippines (ADSP) posted their own version of the movie promo to show that mental illnesses have no one face.
“Maraming mukha ang problema. At gusto namin ipakita rin ang ibang muka - merong mukhang masaya, highly functional, productive pero sa loob loob, may kadiliman,” the group said in their statement. The post went viral with over 12,000 likes, 5,300 shares, and 434 comments as of writing.
ALSO READ: Liza Soberano on 'Tililing' Movie Poster: Mental Health is Not a Joke
On Facebook, creator Darryl Yap appealed to critics to give the movie a chance first before judging it.
According to ADSP, while it is true that the movie cannot be judged yet without seeing it, the poster in itself is already "problematic", not just with its interpretation of the word "Tililing" but in its use of the word itself.
Even patients and professionals dealing with mental illness don't use the word as it perpetuates stereotypes, it said.
MORE ON MENTAL HEALTH:
It's a Pandemic of Sadness Too, Here's Why (And Where to Get Help)
Pandemic Raises Japan Suicide Rate After Decade of Decline
"Paano ang mental health community? Stigmatized na nga kami, diba. Medyo hindi maganda ang dating ng poster na ito. Hindi lang sa pagsstereotyping, sa ikinabit na expression sa salitang tililing kundi sa salitang tililing mismo," the group said.
The movie could be doing it for marketing purposes, it said, but hopes it did so not at the expense of their community.
"Kung maganda man ang intensyon ng pelikula, exciting yan! Sana may guidance ng mga eksperto para pasok talaga sa banga lalo kung para sa mental health awareness ito. If not.. oh well, that's showbiz," the group said.