Jesusa Reyes was a manicurist and masseuse who serviced her loyal customers in her local slum community. This rough and noisy neighborhood, rife with drug addicts and pushers, was divided by a very polluted creek which residents need to ride a raft to get across to the other side. One day, her worthless jerk of a husband left her for another woman. Since then, Jesusa's life descended into the depths of hell itself as she was abandoned by everyone else she held dear.
If there was a woman who was the literal embodiment of a proverbial doormat, it was Jesusa. Her husband Drigo was a recidivist philanderer who caroused with the sexy harlot Gina right under her nose. They apparently had two grown daughters -- the respectable school teacher Malou and the toughie debt collector Beth -- both of whom do not really seem to respect nor care too much about her. Through all this, Jesusa suffered quietly alone. When Drigo actually left her, that was when she broke.
This sadistic screenplay was a heavily dramatic material which was seemingly designed to squeeze the masochistic actress who will play its titular lead character Jesusa of all her acting powers. Name any melodramatic moment in local movies involving an actress over the years and chances are Sylvia Sanchez as Jesusa also did it here. Staring longingly at the night sky from a window - check! Walking on her knees towards the altar of a church - check! Becoming a hardcore drug addict - check! Being gang-raped in a catatonic state - check! Getting thrown into prison for stealing and none of her family visited her -- check!
This Jesusa was a role made to win awards, and indeed Sanchez did just that at the Sinag Maynila awards night last Sunday. It was very interesting that she had to share the Best Actress award with Angela Cortez, who played Marie, the carefree prostitute and single mom turned porn actress in "Jino To Mari." Their roles demanded diametrically different styles of acting. If Sanchez as Jesusa was marked by a painstakingly-crafted classical style of acting, Cortez as Marie was totally natural, seemingly non-acting method style of acting.
The rest of the cast played roles right up their usual alley. Allen Dizon just played a rascal husband Ramil to an older woman in "Person of Interest," and now here he is again as another rascal husband Drigo to another older woman. Prim and proper Empress Schuck played Malou, while tough as nails Mara Lopez played Beth. Eternal starlet Ynez Veneracion played the bitchy mistress. Mon Confiado played the corrupt barangay chairman, while Beverly Salviejo played his eccentric opera-singing wife Pavurata.
There were only two casting surprises worth mentioning. One was that of singer Malu Barry playing the weirdo nurse Mayang, with her offbeat gimmick of offering to take blood pressures for a fee of P20, as well as a more sinister undertaking as drug recruiter. Fanny Serrano played Jesusa's cross-dressing elder brother Kuya Perlo. However, that embarrassing scene of Serrano lipsyncing to Tillie Moreno's "Saan Ako Nagkamali?" was edited so poorly, it should have been totally edited out to spare him some shame.
I also recognized a number of stage actors from the Stagers Foundation of the Philippines playing some minor roles in Jesusa's neighborhood. Vince Tanada played a friend-zoned neighbor Johnny. JP Lopez played the inebriated new barangay chairman. Chris Lim played Beth's boyfriend, the Taiwan-based businessman Elmer. OJ Bacor played Kuya Perlo's loyal transgender ward Lyzza. Johnrey Rivas played the store owner Jesusa stole from. However, I felt it was child Stager Dean Rafols who had been given the plum role of Jesusa's grandson, Dino, for whom he gave a touching performance.
The camera work had some unusual angles and lighting design. The editing was the most unusual aspect, as time sometimes jumped several weeks or even months even in consecutive scenes, which could be jarring. The gloomy musical score made sure we feel the heartbreaking emotion. Director Ronald Carballo tackles yet another drama drenched in drugs, a very common theme of late in a number of indie films. This one focused on one of the drugs' most miserable martyrs -- Jesusa. However, while it has its merits, it is safe to say that this is not going to be everybody's cup of tea for sure because of the relentless torturous melancholia. 5/10.
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