Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino | Patay na si Hesus and Bisaya Humor

One of the most pleasant box office surprises in this year's Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino is the comedy film Patay na si Hesus. The film drew widespread support from audiences, and is one of the festival's top grossing films. I wasn't mincing words when I said the film was the funniest film of 2016.  There's a certain kind of quality to the humor that is far reaching and universal. Some even refer to it as "Bisaya humor."

So what is Bisaya humor? How is it different from Tagalog humor? Is there something in the use of words, the tone, the irreverence of the subject matter?

I decided to ask a few Bisaya friends to find out. Here's what they said:

(paraphrased and translated) There's a certain quality in the Bisaya language that makes jokes funnier. The joke may lose its punch when translated to a more neutral sounding language like Tagalog or English. "Ga-yaya ra man ka uy!" when said out loud has more of an impact compared to "you're a slowpoke!"

 Another one said:

(paraphrased and translated) I wouldn't know if it's really unique to Bisaya culture, but these are jokes that we tell among ourselves.

And another:

(paraphrased and translated) There is a lot of humor that is lost in translation [from Bisaya to Tagalog.] There's a certain mocking (but not mean) quality to it. There could be experiences that relate only to Vis-Min audiences. to  For example: the joke "Ah, Tagalog pala ka," when translated into other languages, isn't as funny [because it hinges on certain assumptions on how Bisaya people speak a language that is not native to them.] I know a lot of people involved in the movie, so it's like seeing my college friends interact.

And:

(paraphrased and translated) I'm not sure  there is a distinct humor unique to Bisaya, (like British humor - or humour) or if it's something that's borne from the coincidence that a lot of Bisaya directors happen to be hilarious.

And finally:

"Alam mo sa tingin ko mga natural na cholokoy lang talaga ang mga  Bisaya."

***

Okay, so we have their point of view on the subject. Personally I think there's merit to the notion that there's a distinct variety of humor with a certain Bisaya flavor.

In local media, Bisaya people have been stereotypically depicted as "indays" -  housekeepers or clueless probinsyano/probinsyana, and for the longest time I've found that stereotype problematic. (Another PPP film, Salvage, partly addresses this during its dizzying climax.) In Patay na si Hesus, we laugh and cry with the characters, not at them. We feel their struggles and empathize with them. They're people just like you and me.

The film is the latest in a long and rich tradition of Bisaya comedies, whether on TV or elsewhere. Ask a Bisdak if they've seen shows like Si Goot Da Wanderpol or Manok ni San Pedro or Boyoyoy da Wonder Boy and there will probably be a look of nostalgia on their faces. The medium of Radio is probably more influential than TV, because it's said that radio was more far reaching than regional TV in those places back in the day.

With the resurgence of regional cinema, movies from Visayas and Mindanao are growing ever more prominent. They showcase movies where Bisaya and Mindanaoans can see themselves as themselves, and not as some outsider's conception of who they are. With it is the uplifting of a regional cultural consciousness.

I hardly bandy around the phrase "must watch," but if you haven't watched Patay na si Hesus yet, there's still today, so watch it while you can!