Die Beautiful:Colorful, Gay and Heartwarming.

Die Beautiful:  Colorful, Gay and Heartwarming.

Director Jun Robles Lana’s latest opus “Die Beautiful” tells the story of Trisha Echavarria’s journey in her colorful gay life. Hers is comparable to a vivid rainbow in the cloud.

The story opens with a home video footage of a child playing a beauty queen, then cut-to a sequence of a dead body being made up to look like Angelina Jolie. The movie makes use of flashback scenes to narrate the highs and lows of the lead character’s life from being a teenager Patrick, who is not accepted by his conservative father (Joel Torre) to a full-pledge transgender woman and beauty-pageant contestant enthusiast Trisha. Amidst the dissension of his family on his sexual orientation, Trisha is loved by her adopted daughter Shirley Mae (Inah de Belen) and supportive best friend Barbs (Christian Bables). Trisha’s quest in the gay beauty pageant world comes full circle when she finally won the title “Binibining Gay Pilipinas”. This is a bitter-sweet victory as her crowning day comes; her life ends.

There have been several gay-thematic Pinoy movies in the past prior to “Die Beautiful” but what sets this film apart from the rest is its exploration of gay beaucon (beauty contest) world as backdrop and its uniqueness in showing a dead body being dressed-up and made-up as iconic personalities at the burial. The film takes its audience to behind the scenes view of gay pageantry with much humor and realism. This makes ‘Die Beautiful’ another breakthrough film featuring the LGBT community. Audience will have a good laugh with the quotable quotes in the Q&A (Question and Answer) portion as well as the extra-ordinary talents of the lovely contestants. Moviegoers will be amazed too on a parade of flamboyant staged pageant sequences. 

Director Lana’s direction is commendable. It really helps that being an openly gay man directing the film understands fully the subject matter and can execute the vision on screen.  It’s also noteworthy that the film uses vibrant colors (wardrobe, make up, production design) to match the colorful life of its lead character. It’s indeed a visual feast!  

The story telling is heartwarming bordering to melodramatic at some aspects but it is what it is! A gay life is not all happy endings, it’s a roller coaster ride as they say. At its core, the film successfully touches the hearts of the public. Dialogues are crisp, gay lingo are funny and witty. One can surely relate to Trisha’s travails              and joy. There are just two items that Lana might have overlooked in the flashback scenes.  The little Shirley Mae asked Trisha who her mother was given that she was adopted by Trisha not a baby. And Barbs used the gay lingo “kuda” where in fact, it’s a contemporary gay term for “ endless talk”.

Acting wise, Paolo Ballesteros delineated his/her role with much aplomb! Ballesteros is very much in character and comfortable playing “Trisha”. It’s not surprising that Ballesteros won accolades abroad in his portrayal and possibly, he will win this year’s MMFF Best actor plum. Applause also goes to Christian Bables as the very loyal BFF Barbs. Bables is very natural and sincere in his depiction.  

With the recent brouhaha in MMFF 2016 being “Indie-favored” as majority claims, Die Beautiful is must-watch film this season. It’s about time that Pinoy moviegoers patronize quality movies. Not only quality ones but also entertaining.

Die Beautiful’ is an introspection on the life of a gay beauty queen — the struggles, pains, heart-breaks, hopes, determination and victories. It is indeed colorful, gay and heartwarming. 

My rating- 8/10