The Woman Who Left (2016)

After 30 years of wrongful imprisonment, a woman plans to take revenge on her former lover.

Director:

Lav Diaz

Writers:

Lav Diaz (screenplay), Leo Tolstoy (inspired by his short story "God Sees the Truth, But Waits")

Stars:

Charo Santos-Concio, John Lloyd Cruz, Michael De Mesa

3 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Charo Santos-Concio	...	Horacia Somorostro / Renata
John Lloyd Cruz	...	Hollanda
Michael De Mesa	...	Rodrigo Trinidad
Nonie Buencamino	...	Magbabalot (as Noni Buencamino)
Shamaine Buencamino	...	Petra
Mae Paner	...	Warden
Mayen Estanero	...	Nena
Marjorie Lorico	...	Minerva
Lao Rodriguez	...	Father
Kakai Bautista	...	Dading
Jo-Ann Requiestas	...	Taba
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Judith Javier	...	Mameng
Daniel Palisa	...	Harry

Storyline

After 30 years of wrongful imprisonment, a woman plans to take revenge on her former lover.

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Plot Keywords:

telling a story | reference to west side story | released from prison | false accusation | destroying a house | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

The efficient production team of The Woman Who Left (2016) had less than 20 members. They already worked on other features of Lav Diaz, so they were comfortable with Diaz's signature long takes and frequent improvisations. Each of the crew members performed multiple tasks and they even appeared as actors or extras on-screen when needed. [CNN Philippines, Sept. 2016]

User Reviews

too little to impress

Seen at the Viennale 2016: No, this movie is not too long. Don't be afraid of the many minutes. Lav Diaz knows how to entertain the movie buff. Most of the action takes place in the night and is filmed in black and white. I wondered, whether the use of b/w-film for the night scenes in the small village streets was a good idea. To my feeling the nights are darker in color. Anyway, too less story for the long-timed frames. The drama was not catchy enough for me to stay within the story. The long-timed frames provided (to me) too much time. So my mind wandered away from the movie and came back again and wandered away again and so on. This is okay with certain abstract movies, when your mind is set free with ideas and inspiration. Ang Babaeng Humayo did (to me) not provide this inspiration. Only the end is non-real enough to start dreaming. But there the movie ends abruptly. I saw it yesterday. And already today this nearly 4 hours are nearly forgotten. Left me unimpressed. But, praise to Lav Diaz! He wants and he dares. And for sure, I will go and see his next movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

Philippines

Language:

Filipino Tagalog English Japanese

Release Date:

28 September 2016 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

The Woman Who Left

Filming Locations:

Mindoro, Philippines

Box Office

Budget:

EUR76,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,018, 21 May 2017

Gross USA:

$3,974

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,373

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sine Olivia Pilipinas, Cinema One Originals

Technical Specs

Runtime:

226 min

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1