Patay na si Hesus
Patay na si Hesus (lit. 'Hesus is Already Dead') is a 2016 Cebuano dark comedy road trip film and an entry to the 2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.
Patay na si Hesus | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Victor Villanueva |
Produced by |
|
Written by | Fatrick Tabada |
Starring | Jaclyn Jose Vincent Viado Chai Fonacier Melde Montañez Mailes Kanapi |
Cinematography | Ruel Dahis Antipuesto |
Edited by | Philip Muana |
Production company | T-Rex Entertainment Productions |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures (Philippines) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | Philippines |
Language | Cebuano English |
Synopsis
Iyay (Jaclyn Jose), a food vendor and mother, learns the death of her estranged husband, Hesus. She decides to drive to Dumaguete from Cebu City to attend the funeral and forces her apathetic children, Hubert (Vincent Viado) who is diagnosed with Down syndrome, trans man Judith Marie "Jude" (Chai Fonacier) and penniless, jobless Jay (Melde Montañez) to join her.[1] Bert quickly agrees, while Jude decides to apply for leave and bring his adoptive daughter Mia with him, and Jay refuses, but gives in to Iyay's demands. Their pet dog Judas comes along as well.
Along the way, Jude and Jay argue over the latter still not having a job and not passing the board exams, and the former not giving any benefits to the family despite his high-paying job, after which Iyay tells that there are two knives they could use, and whoever dies is buried with their father.
During a stopover at Carcar and while eating lechon, Iyay discovers that her stall is being relocated as her former place has been barricaded. She tries to go back, but Jay - who didn't want to come along because of wanting to attend to his own matters - calls her out for the same reason why Jay didn't want to go.
Later, Jay tries to urinate - a cover-up so he could run away - but Jude catches up to him. Jude and Iyay later bicker over their father's misdeeds, including cheating on her with Linda. Jude also gets irritated by how Iyay often addresses him, by his birth name Judith Marie, in retaliation to Jude bringing up his father. When Mia asks what is puki (vagina) aftet Iyay brings it up, Jay and Jude come up with absurd meanings.
They make another stopover to a monastery, where Iyay comes with Hesus's sister Linda, a former nun. On the way, Linda reveals that early on, when Iyay and Hesus eloped to Dumaguete, Iyay was illiterate in Cebuano but calm and controlled, compared to the current situation where she is now fluent in Cebuano and rather violent. Suddenly, Linda defecates, triggering a foul smell in the minivan. During another stopover, Linda strips completely, after which Iyay covers it with a robe and then some clothing.
They then make another stopover to get some water. Later, Jude discovers that his girlfriend Mary, whom he had thought to be in an out-of-town seminar, was in fact flirting with a girl named Sarah. After being mocked by Sarah, Jude flies into a rage, attacking a cake vendor in the process. Later in a park, he lashes out at Mary for her deception. Upon leaving, Jude, heartbroken by Mary's deception, leaves Mia under his ex's watch.
They make yet another stopover, where Linda goes to a restroom. While there, Jay reveals to Jude that he impregnated Steph. Jude lambasts him for failing at sex education despite five years at college. Unbeknownst to them, Bert leaves the van, as does Linda, who hops along someone else's motorcycle. This leads to Iyay and Jay searching for him, which involves stumbling into a parade and a criminal who is also named Bert. Meanwhile, Jude is approached by a few local drunkards and gets drunk with them upon learning one of the men is heartbroken as well.
After reuniting with Jude, Iyay and Jude come across a basketball player who tells them that Bert asked for directions to Santander Port and took a bus going there. They rush to the port, and see a ferry leave, plunging them to despair, only to discover that he and Judas are still on the port, and they reunite. While waiting for another ferry, Jay reveals that he impregnated Steph to Iyay, during which she decides not to lash out at him, saying it's too melodramatic. He then reveals that he skipped his third board exam, for which she does slap him.
After taking a ferry with their van, they head to Hesus' home in Dumaguete. Iyay hesitates before they attend the funeral. There, they meet Linda, Hesus' second wife, and her children Matthew and Jane. Iyay later comes to terms with Jude being a trans-man, Jay talks to Matthew, and a woman becomes attracted to Bert. At Hesus' casket, Iyay gazes at Hesus for a few moments before slamming her hands onto it, causing the glass to break and the casket to fall. Before sleeping, Iyay opens up about life without Hesus and revealed that he in fact wanted to mend his relationship with Iyay before meeting Linda, and that she could not always keep up with their problems, after which Bert remarks that she did her best despite such challenges and that she is still loved by her children.
Iyay later tells Linda that she can manage being a single mother, and she and the children stay for the procession. On the day of Hesus' burial, Iyay and the three - to their shock - discover that Hudas had been run over and killed. The four mourn the dog's death, ignoring the funeral procession of Hesus behind them. (The film has a caption saying "Patay na rin si Hudas" afterwards, to complement the film name).
The film ends with them heading home to Cebu and in between, they talk about how Jay would raise his child, Jude being single and Hubert attracting someone at the funeral, going to a beach, and passing thru a church where one of its statues falls off.
Cast
- Jaclyn Jose as Iyay
- Chai Fonacier as Jude
- Melde Montañez as Jay
- Vincent Viado as Hubert
- Mailes Kanapi as Linda
- Albert Chan Paran as Drunkard Man
- Harvey Quimbo as Drunkard Man
- Miel Espinoza as Mia
- Bernard Catindig as Bert
- Therese Villarante as Sarah
- Sheen Gener as Mary
Release
The film was initially released on October 2016 as an entry at the QCinema International Film Festival.[2] In May 2017, an advance screening of the film was held during the launch of the InterAksyon Cinema Club.[3] Columbia Pictures Philippines became the official distributor of the film in July 2017.[4]
The film was one of the 12 official entries at the 2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino which ran from August 16 to 22, 2017.
Reception
Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|
QCinema International Film Festival 2016[4] | Audience Choice | Patay na si Hesus | Won |
Gender Sensitivity Award | Won | ||
Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino[5] | Jury's Choice | Patay na si Hesus | Won |
References
- Tomada, Nathalie (19 August 2017). "Eat, 'cray,' laugh with Patay na si Hesus". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- Ta-as, Apple (6 July 2017). "Cebuano film 'Patay na si Hesus' finally gets screening in Cebu". Cebu Daily News. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- Ortiguero, Romsanne (22 May 2017). "InterAksyon Cinema Club: 'Patay na si Hesus' is breakthrough gender-sensitive film". InterAksyon. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- Sallan, Edwin (18 August 2017). "'Patay na si Hesus' surprise sleeper hit of Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino". InterAksyon. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- "Three films win special prizes in Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino".