The first time we see the titular character in James Mayo’s ‘Kuya Wes,’ it was as if an embodiment of a caricature, a movie stereotype of an extremely nice man. The way the film introduced him, he is flawless, seemingly capable of any conflict that arrives.
When he works for a money remittance by day, some customers would often ask him favors. His response would be a polite yes, and move on with a smile. By night, his brother’s family would do the same. As soft as Kuya Wes is, he is strong enough to be immune to being emotional.
It’s impossible to not like Wes as a person, but it’s also not impossible to easily react to his less wise life choices. But even with this positioning, the world seems to not notice him. Perhaps, we only remember Wes when we needed him, but not when he needed us, thus the central conflict of the film.
‘Kuya Wes’ is very easy to watch. Its story paces itself smoothly, allowing us to be comfortable. It’s also emotionally brutal, and the movie goes to a point where the shift on catharsis was extremely rewarding.
Ogie Alcasid is fittingly cast as Wes. Majority of his previous roles have been centered on being the nice guy, so this is a great summation (or if you read it on the other way, the antithesis) of his filmography. Also,
‘Kuya Wes’ is one of the more overlooked titles in last year’s Cinemalaya line-up, just because the conversation ended immediately after the festival run. It’s having a commercial release this March 13, 2019. Go see it.
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