Chedeng (Gloria Diaz) finds her true love and Apple (Elizabeth Oropesa) gets away with murder. This is the premise of Si Chedeng at si Apple, a road trip comedy film from the writers of Patay na si Hesus (Fatrick Tabada) and Birdshot (Rae Red). Both women in their 60’s have left their dead husbands and escaped to Cebu in hopes of starting a new life, except Apple is carrying her man’s severed head in her Louis Vuitton and left evidence (read: a chopped off dick) at the scene of the crime.

It’s easy to say that Si Chedeng at si Apple is a story of liberation. Chedeng is finally free from the responsibilities of taking care of her disabled husband and has come out as a lesbian to her family. Apple’s abusive relationship ended when she accidentally kills her husband in an act of self-defense. It is perhaps a bizarre portrayal of the effects of long-term abuse (physical and/or emotional) to two women, which could have gone differently if it were a dramatic film. However, it seemed like the filmmakers were also given complete freedom to do whatever they wanted resulting in a film that’s offbeat, campy, and occasionally offensive.

If you think about it, it’s not really as different from the commercial comedy films made by the late Wenn Deramas. Deramas’ films make the distinction of being “family films” that are usually shown in the MMFF; the obvious differences being, Si Chedeng at si Apple is not a family film (at least, in the eyes of MTRCB) with its depictions of gore, sex, and utterances of cuss words coming from the mouths of the elderly.

Admittedly, some of the jokes were amusing and there was irresistible charm from the Diaz-Oporesa tandem. However, a lot of the humor banked on repetitive gimmicks, slapstick, and outdated punchlines that can be a little bit prejudiced. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t quite go all out, which made it difficult to decide whether you’re gonna enjoy it for whatever monster that it is or hold onto your principles and shout at everything that’s wrong with the feature.

Si Chedeng at si Apple is exactly that tita with the pearl necklace and abaniko that calls you fat in reunions. Sometimes she’s funny and pleasant, most of the time you don’t understand what goes into her head that makes her say really stupid shit. But at the end of the day, she’s still family and you can’t step away from a one-on-one conversation, even if it takes two hours of your time.