Abused by his trashy fat auntie and her two delinquent sons, orphaned bank clerk Jesus Resurrection (Vhong Navarro) is also humiliated by his girlfriend Maan (Toni Gonzaga) and her snooty parents who think he lacks self-confidence. Suddenly inheriting a haunted mansion, Jesus discovers it is inhabited by a multitude of ghosts, from Japanese soldiers to headless monks and cute young girls, who are waiting for Jesus (“the One”) to lead them to the light that will transit them to the other side before they are turned into cockroaches. But Jesus is injured and fights for his life in hospital - a physically comatose condition that allows his spirit to roam the mansion looking for the key to open the door to the light. But the path to salvation is never smooth and in fighting his greedy auntie and supernatural forces, Jesus discovers his inner strength and purpose in a life that, in keeping with his name, he hopes to reclaim.
The crazy comedy is a sub-genre rarely found today in Hollywood, occasionally appears in Europe, but still seems alive in Asia. In Joyce Bernal’s hands, this madcap Filipino romp mixes horror spoof, musical (giving a new meaning to “ghost dancing”), romance, family drama and even ninja movies - a wild montage of genres that focus a narrative that is as illogical as it is convenient. Bernal’s theme (cf. Mr Suave - FEFJ 2005) that the individual test of love is the measure of survival is harmonized here with the need to safeguard the collective well-being. The film draws to a close with a rendering of true emotion that trascends rather than resolves social chaos - an interesting though ambiguous reflection of the real world.