Jay (2008)

Baron Geisler takes a breather (photo by Paolo Feliciano)

Director: Francis Xavier Pasion Cast: Baron Geisler, Flor Salanga, Coco Martin, Angelica Rivera Country: Philippines

There are two Jays in Jay: one dead and one living; Baron Geisler plays the latter, a sly TV producer going through life with a dubious moral compass. Tricky and cunning, he manipulates people into doing things they wouldn't normally do. When he asked Nanay Luz (Flor Salanga) if he could open her son's padlocked closet so he could snoop inside, the latter agreed; when he told the policemen to unshackle a felon so they could “reenact” a scene for his TV show, they did so without question. The world is a stage, and he's the director, telling people to do this and do that, say this and say that. He's so persuasive they ended up crying on cue and playing dead.

Jay asserts that everyone is capable of connivance and manipulation. Yes, it stings, but truth, as we know it, is a bitch. Despite its cynical take on society, Jay is unbelievably funny. Its humor is blunt and brutal, hitting the viewer like a speeding 10-wheeler truck. It doesn't take itself too seriously nor does it overly intellectualize things; even a goof (which involved one neon-colored chick) was incorporated in the storyline.

Carrying the movie with style and flair is lead actor Baron Geisler. In playing Jay (a gay man with a strong propensity for hunky masseurs), Geisler shows restraint and maturity. Although the 26-year-old actor's masculinity and virility oftentimes get in the way of his characterization, random moments of acting brilliance make his Jay memorable and endearing.