Kuwentong Bangtan: Of Aliens, Children and the Man on the Bicycle

I was eight years old when my mama brought me to the cinema to watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Spielberg, 1982). How it piqued my curiosity! The movie poster shows a boy in a bicycle flying and at the background is the silver moon looming in magnificence. It was enchanting (it still is). The two fingers that connect prompted me to ask my mama questions. Whose fingers are those? Why is there a spark of light when their fingers touched? How can a bike fly that high? I remember my mama saying, “manood na lang tayo at nasa movie ang sagot.” So boomer, di ba?

Afterwards, we both concluded that sci-fi magic made it all possible. (ang genX ko talaga). But there’s more, the title of the movie opened the door for me to learn new words and language. Of course, my mama took advantage of the opportunity to teach me the use of a dictionary. A complicated word such as extra-terrestrial pertains to objects and entities beyond the planet we know as Earth. When broken down in two, terrestrial means earth and extra means add-on; something supplemental. E.T. the Extra-terrestrial was, at the time, an out of this world movie experience.

This movie I had seen as a child, made me feel celebrated. I only had a vague idea that my rights were being advocated back then, but I felt it. Eliot, was my champion. He was allowed to save and fight for what he believes in and protect his friend who is not of this Earth against a system that controls and stifles creativity. He is but a child. A capable child. With the help of his brother and his biker friends, they beat the authorities who want E.T. as a lab experiment. An act of subversion, yes, but also, an act of emancipation and empowerment. Such is the power of storytelling and cinematic art.

Fast forward to late October of 2022 when The Astronaut, Kim Seokjin’s collab project with Coldplay dropped in all streaming channels with a music video (mv) on YouTube. The scenes that show Astronaut Jin on a bicycle, teaching a young girl how to ride one and saying good bye to her brought me back to that core memory of watching E.T. as a child. The effect was therapeutic and bittersweet, too.

Astronaut Jin was saying goodbye riding that bicycle. At the same time, it symbolizes the unending journey of growth and possibilities in the midst of nothingness and uncertainty. Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage, besides. A gateway unto freedom. It is a child's foray into the bigger world to handle responsibilities and the accountability that comes with it.

Kim Seokjin on a bike entering the stage last June 13 in his first solo performance is a reminder that curiosity and the sense of wonder never dies. It lives on.

ARMY, we are Young Forever!

#festa2024 #ARMYGlowUp2025 #agu_communication #btskimseokjin