THIS YEAR, Nasaan si Hesus? (Where is Jesus?), a musical first staged in the mid-2000s, is given new life as a movie just in time for election season.

Produced by Balin Remjus, Inc. and Great Media Productions, Inc., the original play was written by the late Nestor U. Torre, with music and lyrics by Lourdes “Bing” Pimentel.

The story follows members of a Filipino community who have their faith and spirituality put to the test amid modern pressures and temptations. “[It] works well as a musical, be it onstage or onscreen,” said Mrs. Pimentel at a press conference in San Juan City.

Mrs. Pimentel, who switched her composer hat for that of a producer for the film, added that she wrote the songs for the play after the execution of convicted rapist Leo Echegaray in 1999, a time when “everybody was clamoring for the death penalty.”

“[Nestor and I created] a very simple story — the life of a family in this village, a young lady who finds she is pregnant, a man cheating on his wife, and vote buying in their community. These are realities that we all experience in life,” she explained.

“Because the teachings about faith are in song, it’s not a hard sell. That’s the power of music. If you look at the movie and watch the movie and begin to ask yourself kung nasaan ba si Hesus at kung anong klaseng Kristiyano ako (where is Jesus and what kind of Christian am I?), the movie is already successful.”

The ensemble cast is composed of singers and actors from stage, recording, and screen. Rachel Alejandro as the caring housewife Brenda, Jeffrey Hidalgo as the philandering husband Roger, and Rachel Gabreza as the pregnant daughter Cindy, make up the family at the center of the story.

They are joined by Geneva Cruz as the generous nun Sister Remedios, Janno Gibbs as a priest, and Marissa Sanchez as the selfish store owner Mrs. Varona, among many others.

Dennis Marasigan is the writer and director tasked with adapting the play for film. “It was in 2018 when we first started talking about this project. Before we could finish the script, the pandemic hit,” he told the press.

Once pandemic restrictions were lifted, they returned to the script and decided to make it more contemporary.

“Talagang nangyayari itong kwento. May eksena rin tungkol sa pandemic. Kaya ang kwento ay tungkol sa kasalukuyang panahon. (It’s a story that we see in real life. There are even scenes about the pandemic, so it’s really a current story),” Mr. Marasigan said.

RESONATING WITH FILIPINOS
Back in the 2000s, the play was presented over 80 times all over the Philippines. It was endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“When someone asked me if this musical could be staged again today, given the chaos happening in the country recently, I took it as a sign from God that it was time to bring it back,” Mrs. Pimentel said.

She said that there will be more songs in the film — “17 songs and counting,” according to musical director TJ Ramos.

Mr. Ramos told BusinessWorld that bringing the original music to the present day is a big challenge. “We are currently doing the music arrangement and edits before filming starts this month,” he said.

Like Mrs. Pimentel, he expressed the need to reach “as many Filipinos as possible,” with a newer sound able to resonate with the Gen Zs of the TikTok era.

Singer-actress Rachel Alejandro recalled how she was drawn to the script. “It’s very relevant. What left an impact on me reading it is, we should think about our effect on others, to be good Christians. The film is a mirror for us to see ourselves in,” she said.

The interweaving lives of the characters are meant to present a microcosm of the Philippines, according to Mr. Marasigan. “Inaasahan natin na maipalabas itong pelikula bago magkaroon ng eleksyon, sa pagkakataon din ng Lenten season, para matulungan tayong mag-isip tungkol sa kalagayan ng Pilipinas (We hope to show the film before the elections, also in time for the Lenten season, to help us reflect on the current state of the Philippines.),” he said. — Brontë H. Lacsamana