Review by
Benjamin Poole
Directed by: Martika Ramirez Escobar
Starring: Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon
Remember auteur theory? Being a modern day equivalent to the Cahiers du
Cinema cadre, we at The Movie Waffler certainly do: after all, for people
who write about them, locating the vision, ideology and purpose of a movie
to a singular artistic motivation makes evaluating and contextualising
said film that much neater. However, today, even a second's consideration
renders the concept cutely naïve: audiences are now all too aware of
contractual beef, bts drama and the hallowed status of IP for the argument
of unique authorship to hold any weight. Understanding of industry
factions and their varying fortunes is mainstream, too (in any local
supermarket you'll see people wearing t. shirts with MARVEL emblazoned
across it - the studio as brand), and the house style of franchises
dictates the look and feel of populist cinema rather than exceptional
vision. Mind you, people are clamouring for the #TheAyerCut of
Suicide Squad
and Taika Waititi is also a thing, so maybe Andrew Sarris' had a point
after all.
Leonor Will Never Die, the superb and sweet natured Filipino comedy-drama from
Martika Ramirez Escobar (writer, director, auteur?) picks up with
filmmaker Leonor Reyes (Sheila Francisco) in her autumn years.
Leonor was once a big name in the Filipino film industry, recognised for
her series of successful action films. Now, however, Leonor and her family
are on their uppers, with the bills piling up and the rent unpaid. Dusting
off an unfinished script in response to an advert looking for screenplays,
Leonor gets back to work. Problem is, a television dropped from a height
goes and lands right on her head and puts Leonor in a coma... However,
while she is otherwise dead to the world, Leonor’s imagination nonetheless
comes alive, and she begins to exist within the diegesis of her
screenplay, interacting with her characters... and authoring from within.
The Kaufman-esque constructs of Leonor Will Never Die allow
Escobar to explore her main theme, which is what cinema means to people;
the process of creation, and the vital escapism which narrative and
spectacle provide. Even before her biff on the bonce, we witness gaudily,
beautifully saturated visualisations of Leonor's writing, via loving
recreations of '80s Filipino action cinema (such a tricksy balance; the
gentle caricature, and the deeply felt respect). As we witness hero
Ronwaldo (Rocky Salumbides) seek violent retribution for the death
of his brother, the gorgeous homages contrast vividly with the washed out,
cluttered mise-en-scene of quotidian life. The Filipino film industry is
the strongest in the Southeast Asian region, with cinema being a highly
populist art form; the country has even had two presidents who were former
action stars, a cultural confluence which reportedly influenced
Leonor Will Never Die's script. In a film where the narrative is literally founded upon a
specific form of introspection, Escobar expressly communicates the
external importance of cinema to people; background televisions are
consistently switched to movie channels, and Leonor's accident is a
communal concern. And then events take a turn for the even weirder when
one of the hospital waiting room televisions begins to broadcast the
happenings of Leonor's mind...
The Matryoshka structures of Leonor Will Never Die move
beyond playful shtick and carefully towards a denouement which is
authentically joyous, a meta nexus of fiction and real life, with the
film's climax coalescing into a cast and crew (ah, but for "which" film?)
singalong. In this cheerful montage, the collective efforts required to
produce a film are highlighted, with behind the scenes footage presented
(ah, but is it?, etc) to emphasise not only the cooperative nature of film
production, but the purposeful symbiosis between film and audience. The
reflective permutations of Leonor Will Never Die do threaten
to disappear up the back of its own television at times, but, ultimately,
the film is held together by the warmth of its intent and performances. A
distinctive new voice in cinema, Martika Ramirez Escobar is a filmmaker to
watch and celebrate.
Leonor Will Never Die is in UK/ROI cinemas from April 7th.