I will admit that I probably didn’t get all the jokes in Victor Villanueva’s Patay Na Si Hesus. The Bisaya members of the audience told me later that the subtitles didn’t do a good enough job of conveying the verbal humor in the script. That said, I still found it to be pretty hilarious. The movie starts with Iyay (Jaclyn Jose) telling her three children that their father has just died. The family travels together to Dumaguete inside a small van, and gets into all sorts of misadventures along the way.
The production feels a little rushed. The continuity is a little all over the place, and there are key moments that are marred somewhat by a shot that isn’t entirely in focus. But it’s all really easy to forgive, because it’s just so funny. The film’s sense of humor often skews absurd at points, displaying a flexible reality where all manner of strange things can happen. But it never does forget its heart, much of it delivered through the formidable performance of Jaclyn Jose. She gets ample support as well from Chai Fonacier, who really is shaping up to be one of the most versatile and compelling actresses around today. This film could certainly have used a little more time baking in the oven, but even in this shaggy form, it is thoroughly entertaining.
There’s a lot going on under the hood of Prime Cruz’s Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B. The film tells the story of Jewel (Ryza Cenon), who is in fact a manananggal (or as the subtitles awkwardly translate it, a vampire). She mostly keeps to herself in her rundown apartment, until she gets the urge to kill. Then she meets the sweet, brokenhearted Nico (Martin del Rosario), who has just moved into the building with his grandmother. The two grow close, which naturally becomes a problem for the one who’s secretly a murderous monster.
I don’t think the film works at all as a romance. There’s little chemistry between the leads, and the writing doesn’t really let us get to know who Jewel really is as a person. The narrative itself is kind of unclear at times, a subplot that involves Nico dabbling in criminal activity not really fully coming into light. But the depiction of Jewel and her monstrous tendencies makes an indelible impression. The way the film conflates the character’s sexuality with the violence that she carries out is fascinating. And the method by which she hides the true nature of her murders is a pretty bold narrative choice given the times that we’re in. I’m not entirely certain that all the pieces fit; there are some ideas that feel a little undercooked. But these are ideas worth discussing anyway. And it all comes together in a technical package that is as polished as it gets. It’s clear that a lot of care went into every single frame of this film, and that should always be appreciated.
Besides the seven features, QCinema has also produced seven new short films, each given a grant of one hundred thousand pesos. They're split up into two programs. In the "A" program, Dodo Dayao's If You Leave really stands out for its conceptual grounding. It isn't really much more than two guys talking about ghosts while they watch videos that purport to document paranormal activity. Dayao plays around with the form, messing with the visual language and the sound design to craft something genuinely disturbing.
Joshua Joven and Kaj Palanca bring something much sweeter in their short Contestant #4, which tells the story of an old man who gets regular, unannounced visits from a young man in his house, which is located in a neighborhood that is undergoing some sort of massive development. It’s a low-key little short that pretty pleasing by the end of it.
Victor Nierva’s Sayaw sa Butal, which is about a bathroom attendant with bigger dreams, feels like a rough sketch of ideas that deserve a little more time.
And Janus Victoria’s Viva Viva Escolta, which follows two ghosts hanging around the Escolta area, is mostly an awkwardly written conversation. The short comes to life for a bit when it tries something with its premise, but then it just gets back to talking in vague abstractions about life and love and all that.
The standout in the “B” program is Aedrian Araojo’s Hondo which comes to us from Zamboanga. It follows a young mother who suffers from an affliction that basically makes her terribly allergic to water. The short is off-kilter in a very distinct, enjoyable way, finding some dark humor in this woman’s generally miserable existence. And then things get really dark. There are technical hiccups along the way, but this is a pretty exciting work all around.
Papa’s Shadows, by Inshallah Montero, is about a child having to confront the death of her father. The hook is that her father made shadow puppets, and his puppets start talking to her. This is a cute short that could use a little more polish, but is fine overall.
And finally, Gabrielle Tayag’s Padating doesn’t quite feel like a whole thing yet. Its little sliver of a narrative involves a young woman and her father spending time together around an airport, waiting for someone to arrive. There just isn’t enough there yet.
