Movie Review: Jay

The last Filipino indie flick that I truly enjoyed was Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros several years back. That movie brought back my fate in Filipino cinema. What followed were indie films that were either too obnoxious (paprofound pero wala namang laman) or gay without any real story to speak of. 

Until I watched Jay the other day.

Given the success of many gay sex indie movies such as Masahista, Ang Lalake sa Parola and Ang Lihim ni Antonio, it's no surprise that Francis Xavier Pasion's film was marketed as another gay sex film. Thus the inclusion of Coco Martin, apparently the fantasy of many gay men nowadays.

But not too worry, the story alone is enough to overcome any false marketing.

Here, Jay is stabbed 8 times by an unknown man, probably a male masseur hired by the victim. Jay, a TV "journalist" records on camera the events after the victim's death: the family's grief, the search for the killer, the sadness of his co-teachers and friends, the inquiry into his sexuality. 

The film opens with the end-product of the journalist's efforts, we begin with the ending, in short. My friend and I were amazed at how accurate the documentary format was - the angles, the pacing, the interviews, the reenactment, the music, the "realism" of it all.

Then we get to see what really happened in the making of the tv segment. Jay, the TV person manipulate everything and everyone he can to get everything perfect for television. He shoves his camera into a mother's face as she cries for his dead son. He makes her pretend to see her son's dead body for the first time again because the lighting was bad the first and real time it happened. He makes people confess to him in front of the camera. He goes through the dead man's clothes and cabinets and exposes whatever secret he finds and uses public service as an excuse. Nothing is sacred to Jay.

But we don't totally hate him because we know we'd do the same if we were in his shoes. Nothing personal, just a job.

But what is even more fascinating are the people left behind Jay. They are able to put aside their grief, act and allow themselves to be directed, as though in a movie, by Jay. Soon we see Jay's grieving mother putting on make up and eye drops before every scene.

But the movie goes beyond showing us how people transform in front of the camera. It is a witty play on truth and how it can be twisted  and processed until you no longer no what to believe.

Like every great movie, Jay asks the difficult questions in life. What is truth? when does truth start becoming a lie? If your truth is told through my eyes, is it still the truth? Or has it become something else?

Jay is also noted for the performances of Baron Geisler and the rest of the cast. They made the movie feel so natural, so , ironically, real.

There's not a lot of good Filipino movies out there, so please watch Jay.

I give this movie an A