[Movie Review] Patay Na Si Hesus : A Visaya Movie Of Pure Comical Delight

Straight from her critically acclaimed film Ma Rosa, Jacklyn Jose will portray an entirely different role in an equally interesting film, Patay Na Si Hesus. The film directed by Victor Kaiba Villanueva is one of the official entries for the upcoming Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2017. It is a very refreshing film for many good reasons and I am assuring you that you are not going to leave the cinema without a smile on your face and this is absolutely not a bold claim at all!

Before I saw the trailer, I actually thought that Patay Na Si Hesus will be a very serious film that will depict some events from the bible but surprisingly, it took me somewhere else. Patay Na si Hesus follows a story of Iyay (Played by Jacklyn Jose), a estranged wife and a mother of three who recently learned her husband’s death so she had to drag all her kids all the way from Cebu to Dumaguete to attend the funeral. With her old yet trusty multicab , Iyay and her kids along with Judas (their pet dog) will hit the road and travel more than 80 miles to reach Dumaguete. Like what they used to say, it is not about the destination but the journey to get there and this is exactly what we are about to witness in this movie.

Iyay forcibly dragged her kids to attend their father’s burial but little did they know, this little family reunion will lead them to some life changing experiences and everything will take place on the road. What really makes the story a lot more engaging is the fact that it will not just revolve around Iyay as the kids were given equally amazing moments to shine. Her eldest Hubert (Vincent Viado) has a down syndrome while Judith (amazingly played by Chai Fonacier) is a lesbian who preferred to be addressed as Jude and is living with a single mom. Jude’s partner was apparently on an out of town work so she had to bring Mia on their journey to Dumaguete. Iyay’s youngest son Jay (Melde Montañez) failed to pass his board exam (for the third time) and has no job. Each of them has their own issues and this journey will make them realized how important it is to have each others back.

There will be a lot of bathroom jokes in this movie but everything was on point and lines were cleverly executed as if they are naturally delivered. It feels like you are watching a casual conversation of a typical family which makes the film so relatable.  As I said, each cast were given their own moment to shine and they seemingly have this wonderful chemistry making them so enjoyable to watch. Jaclyn Jose managed to bring an ideal motherly figure in this film. A single mother who try her best to stay and  look strong for her kids. Her iconic deadpan acting style was excellently utilized for this film. The rest of the cast , knowing that most of them were based in Cebu and some had their acting debut is truly refreshing. Chai Fonacier and Melde Montañez were both an interesting revelation in this movie and I actually want to see more of them in the future. The character of Miles Kanapi as Sister Linda, a hilarious nun who just went out of her convention is also an interesting addition to the cast. Although her character is somehow irrelevant to the story , she will have a lot of hilarious moments in the movie that will surely make you laugh.

It is very interesting to note that Patay Na Si Hesus is a pure Visaya movie and in fact, actresses Jaclyn Jose and Miles Kanapi had to take classes to learn the language. During the presscon of the movie, we’ve learned that the scripts were originally written in Tagalog but I think it was a brilliant decision to make it in Visaya. You may not be able to understand some of the dialogues but the actions will speak for themselves. It is actually a kind of movie that everyone can embrace regardless of what province you came from. In addition to that, Cebu and Dumaguete (and all the places in between) were greatly promoted in the entire course of the movie. From those wonderful scenery to all the popular dishes and delicacies of the provinces. They also highlighted some catchy Vispop music that will definitely make a slot on your playlist after watching this movie.

Patay na si Hesus is absolutely a pure comical delight with a touch of little drama that will teach us some valuable lessons about family and life.

Catch Patay Na si Hesus and the rest of the local film entries for Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino this coming August 16 to 22. The official PPP entries will be screened to 790 cinemas nationwide.

By the way, I would to note that Patay na si Hesus will be distributed by Columbia Pictures Philippines. This will mark as their return to local movie distribution and they will start it with Patay na si Hesus.