Sakristan (web series)

Sakristan is a 2020 Philippine streaming television series starring Clifford Pusing and Henry Villanueva, directed and written by Darryl Yap. A story of two men coming to terms in finding love despite being a church servant. The series was released via YouTube on May 31, 2020.

Plot
The narrative follows the journey of two young men, Zach and Christian, as they navigate the complexities of love while serving as altar servers. The story illustrates that love manifests in various forms, faces, and circumstances.

Zach (Clifford Pusing) is mandated by the school board to become an altar server as a consequence for a misdeed he committed. The board believes this will steer him away from habitual misconduct. Within the altar servers, a mentor-mentee system is in place, where novices, referred to as "sheep," are paired with senior church youths, known as "shepherds." Due to his past behavior, Zach is assigned as the mentee of Christian (Henry Villanueva), the head of the shepherds.

Despite being a triathlete, Zach struggles academically. Conversely, Christian excels in various areas, being a Prom King, Mr. Nutrition Month, Ginoong Agham, Mr. Sportsfest, Campus King, and President of the Altar Servers. The relationship that develops between Zach and Christian transcends typical male friendship, presenting a narrative described as "courageous and liberating.

Cast

 * Clifford Pusing as Zach
 * Henry Villanueva as Christian
 * Xavier Reyes as Wolf
 * Darrel Rivera as Paps
 * Lhance Lintag as Melch
 * Juniel Eclio as Josie
 * Arkail Batoon as Gabby

Production
On April 13, 2020, Darryl Yap announced that he was writing a new web series titled "Sakristan," which would be a Boys' Love series. He also stated that the web series would consist of eight episodes.

Background
Before the release of "Sakristan," Darryl Yap faced widespread criticism due to the nature of the series' title and promotional posters. There were online calls for the cancellation of the series citing concerns that it was disrespectful to the Catholic Church. Critics argued that the series contradicted the teachings of the Catholic Church, specifically referencing Canon 2357, which states that homosexuality refers to relations between men or women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. The Canon notes that homosexual acts are considered to be of grave depravity and contrary to natural law, closing the sexual act to the gift of life and lacking genuine emotional and sexual complementarity.

In response to the backlash, Darryl Yap stated that he had no intention of damaging the Church's image.

Release
The web series was released on May 31, 2020.

Reception
As of November 7, 2020