Sekyusyon is one of the entries in the Manila Film Festival 2016. The movie tries to depict some religious Catholic practices in the Philippines before the Japanese invasion. It also tries to expose the thriving pagan practices despite the relatively strict Catholicism brought about by Spanish friars and conquistadores. Although the entry is labeled as a horror/suspense movie, one should also look at the relevance of this movie in relation to the present time. Since the movie is supposedly a story of the past, especially of Catholicism, one should have a proper background of the context of the movie. Albeit the movie is entertaining because of its cinematography, I may not recommend this movie to those who lack proper Catholic education or faith due to some sensitive issues present in it. Moreover, the director and writer/s failed to distinguish modern Church practices from that of the pre-Vatican II practices, which should be the milieu of the said movie.
On the other hand, the effort of the director and the script writer/s to expose the struggles of deacons or those who are preparing for priesthood is admirable. Consequently, priests and deacons, in their desire to serve God, is not exempted from human frailty and the temptations of the devil. As the movie ends, it is left hanging which obliges the audience to think and analyze the story. Moreover, the movie did not give any resolution in the end. Instead, the evil seems to prevail which is typical of many horror movies. Consequently, the movie can either strengthen or destroy the faith of an average Catholic without proper guidance.
While the producers and the intended audience of this movie is the secular world, the movie would have been better if they had consulted a priest knowledgeable of the context they wanted to depict. Succinctly, the movie is good for secular entertainment but is a too raw in moral and spiritual contents.
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