There is much to love about Martika Ramirez Escobar's debut feature film "Leonor Will Never Die."

But the thing that strikes me right now is how it introduces non-Filipinos to the specifics of Philippine culture and entertainment: the pirated DVDs being sold cheaply on the streets, the gatherings of strangers around a television screen at hospitals, the near-universal love for action heroes, the perpetual desire to burst out into a karaoke song and dance, and so much more. In many places around the world, entertainment is dismissed only as a form of escapism. But "Leonor Will Never Die" shows that in the Philippines, film is a source of community, of joy, and of closure.

More on everything else later.

Edit: After a few months, I finally was able to write my thoughts down into a coherent and expanded review, centering on how the film creates a language of loss. You can read the full piece via the film publication Projektor.

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE is a love letter to 1980s Filipino action filmmaking with a fun meta style that oozes nostalgia. An erratic, whimsical & heartening film to marvel at with a splendid performance from Sheila Francisco at its center. A sometimes silly but joyous blast to watch.

Sundance #43

ano po nangyari sa lalaking buntis? curious lang pi hehe sana oki lang sya

it turns out sometimes a fun dance number can replace an actual ending 💖

I love films about film about film

pelikula ay pag-ibig. this film exceeded all my expectations. philippine cinema, like leonor, will never die.

p.s. direk marty i love u na po agad
p.p.s. will write more in a bit

This reminded me quite a bit of One Cut of the Dead, that offers a Filipino action flick with a meta narrative structure and also serves as a love letter to films and the filmmaking process. Sheila Francisco is incredibly endearing as the titular Leonor, a (once) famed screenwriter who falls into a coma when a TV falls on her head. In her dream state, she begins to imagine herself in her unfinished screenplay and simultaneously her friends and relatives try attempt revive her by completing her cinematic vision….and it gets even more meta than even that sounds. It’s a really fun and imaginative ride. 🇵🇭 bias. 

Degrees of Kevin Bacon: 2
1. Madeleine Nicolas and David Strathairn in The Bourne Legacy
2. David Strathairn and Kevin Bacon in The River Wild

Look, if somebody needs me to cover their power bill so that they can watch this masterpiece of metatextual grief and comedy, I got you.

Undying by definition: collective 16mm pulp-memory into transposed familial absurdity. Blue neon genre nights were traditionally beautiful in our days. Never again. Never forget this as we say: "Goodbye, action star, goodbye." In increasing old-school send-offs and needing united singing dreamers. If the cause of never-ending frowning is the sudden shock of repeating, para sayo ang (mga) pelikula na ito.