Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Netflix: Review of THE DELIVERY RIDER: Autism in Action

October 29, 2025



Santo (Baron Geisler) is an autistic man who worked as a motorcycle delivery man for Ondamove. He kept pretty much to his usual routines, like taking photos of his deliveries once they reach their destination. He lived at home with his childhood friend, now a nurse and single mother Nichelle (Jennica Garcia). Her son Miro (Euwenn Mikaell) already considered Santo as his father, since his real father Bernardo (Joem Bascon) left them to live and work abroad.

This was a potent set-up for a dramatic film about an atypical family. It informed us about what high-functioning autistic people can do and how they could be employed in certain jobs. Honestly, I have yet to meet a delivery rider who obviously was on the spectrum like Santo. But in theory, as long as they knew how to ride a motorcycle, work the GPS and could engage with customers, they should be able to do the job, barring any major breaks in routines.

However, writer Henry King Quitain and director Lester Pimentel (in his feature film directorial debut) went beyond family drama and unexpectedly made a sharp turn to become a violent action film instead.  Santo and Miro inadvertently witnessed a murder during one of his deliveries, so the bad guys led by Roden (Jake Cuenca) went after them. Fortunately, Santo had inherited fighting skills from his late MMA champ father Jowell (Christian Vasquez). 

It was good to see a little more of Jennica Garcia, after her affecting supporting turn in "Sunshine" (2025), but she should be ready for the lead soon enough. Euwenn Mikaell is striking the iron while he is still the hottest male child actor after his major roles in "Firefly" (2023) and "Lolo and the Kid" (2024). Jake Cuenca was basically a one-dimensional crime kingpin here, but they did give him a bit of humanity before the end of the film.

The main highlight of this film was Baron Geisler, who showed off more versatility as a dramatic actor here, following "Doll House" (2022) and "Dearly Beloved" (2024). His action chops were still well-honed from TV series like "Iron Heart" (2022) and "Incognito" (2025). His portrayal of Santo's autism was consistent and empathetic, apparent from his facial tics, hand gestures and speech patterns. This committed performance will garner due acclaim. 7/10


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