THE GOSPEL OF THE BEAST (2023) Review
Directed by Sheron Dayoc
Firstly, it’s an uncomfortable watch. Sheron Dayoc takes us to a grim reality of how children without parental figures navigate their lives in a cruel, cruel world. The Gospel of the Beast will open our eyes to the harsh possibilities when the innocence of a young person is squandered and all you have as your guide is someone who does crime for a living.
Jansen Magpusao blends well with the film’s milieu. Despite this being his second acting project, his nuances felt natural as the troubled Mateo. I see Elijah Canlas when he was starting in him, raw and expressive but most of all, his screen presence is immense. Magpusao is probably a master in portraying a challenged school boy now from John Denver Trending to The Gospel of the Beast. He will make you feel like he was born to play those parts.
What made The Gospel of the Beast an engaging watch is that the main character felt like it kept true to itself. Mateo, having to experience the loss, the guilt, the suffering and the longing for a parental figure, you, as an audience, will understand what and why his choices are like that.
The film is a depressing watch though. Having those themes in one movie, with a young boy experiencing all of it, you feel like something should be done for young people experiencing the same thing.
The Gospel of the Beast takes you to uncomfortable realities. It’s where hope is in between but almost losing it. But this type of story make you understand children better, why nurturing them is vital not just for them but also for the ones that surrounds them.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘The Gospel of the Beast’ is the opening film of the 20th edition of the Cinemalaya International Film Festival.