Фильм «Tirik» превращает такси в исповедальню и осуждает войну с наркотиками через призму христианского прощения

MAY-I GUIA PADILLA’S full-length debut, “Tirik” (To Set Upright), transforms the road thriller into a meditation on sin and Christian solidarity, using the Sacrament of Reconciliation to confront drug war killings. The film follows Fr. Bert (Rocco Nacino), a weary priest forced into a desperate escape after surviving an assassination attempt alongside taxi driver Santos (Floyd Tena) during what was supposed to be a funeral visit. Padilla transforms the taxi from a mere vehicle into a moving confessional, where fear, guilt and hope unfold through restrained dialogue. “Tirik” grounds its narrative in the Christian belief that God is the author of life, framing every act of violence as a rejection of human dignity. The film anchors itself in the sanctity of life, reflected in Fr. Bert’s assertion that the evils of illegal drugs and extrajudicial killings or EJKs cannot be reduced to a single dimension. Rather than portraying Fr. Bert as a priest with unquestionable moral authority, Padilla depicts him as a man whose faith and discernment are continually tested by the tensions between justice and compassion. Fr. Bert’s decision to stand with victims of EJKs reframes priesthood as a prophetic vocation that extends beyond the altar and the walls of the Church. The film reaches its theological center through Fr. Bert’s conversation with Fr. Jess (Glenn Sevilla Mas), presenting Christian discipleship as the act of carrying the burdens of those who suffer and, ultimately, recognizing the dignity of every human life. Throughout the film, Santos gradually sheds his hardened exterior, emerging as a man haunted by violence but longing for peace. His simple vision of heaven parallels Fr. Bert’s. Both imagine heaven as a gentle light, revealing how the two men seek the same redemption despite carrying different wounds. In its final moments, “Tirik” transforms the simple act of lighting a candle for the dead into a painful act of surrender, choosing God’s mercy over vengeance. Padilla leaves the audience with a simple truth: Reconciliation begins not with revenge, but with the courage to carry another’s cross. “Tirik” succeeds as a religious drama that reimagines the Sacrament of Reconciliation not merely as forgiveness after sin, but as an enduring call to accompany those who continue to suffer. Bruce L. Buenaventura