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SLIFF 2017 Review- THE WOMAN WHO LEFT – We Are Movie Geeks

Review

SLIFF 2017 Review- THE WOMAN WHO LEFT

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THE WOMAN WHO LEFT screens as part of the 26th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival on Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 PM at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre. Ticket information can be found HERE

THE WOMAN WHO LEFT is a sprawling epic dealing with revenge and redemption, second chances and missed opportunities, inspired by the works of Leo Tolstoy. Ah, but here’s the twist: the setting is the Philippines circa 1997, when the local news was filled with horrific tales of kidnapping and extortion, along with the return of Hong Kong to China. But this is a more personal story centering on middle-aged Horacia (Charo Santos-Concio), now in year thirty of her long prison sentence after being convicted of murder. She’s settled into her fate, becoming a mentor/ teacher to the other inmates. One day she is shocked when her the warden tell her that she’s free. Horacia’s close friend and cell mate Petra confessed to the murder. She had been hired by Horacia’s spurned former lover Rodrigo Santiago to commit the crime and frame her. Horacia implores the warden not to speak of her release, then hops on a bus to her old home. After finding out that her husband has passed away she re-connects with her daughter. When she’s told that her son has gone missing, Horacia travels to another village to continue the search for him. Seems that Santiago is living in the same village, which sets her on a path of revenge. Along that path, Horacia befriends an aged street vendor, an eccentric homeless woman, and an epileptic transvestite prostitute.

Director/screenwriter Lav Diaz captures the raw, gritty feel of life on the streets with wide-angle camera work (in shimmering silver black and white), unadorned by background music, replaced by the near-constant flow of scooters and motorbikes. Said camera is “locked down” for most scenes, letting the dialogue flow naturally during long uncut sequences, making the film feel more like a play (or two, since the film clocks in at just under four hours). Diaz also gets wonderful, compelling, natural performances from Santo-Concio and the heart-breaking John Lloyd-Cruz as the tormented street-walker Hollanda. With the script’s twists and turns (and quirky detours), THE WOMAN WHO LEFT is an engaging tropical island spin on crime and punishment.

Jim Batts was a contestant on the movie edition of TV's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" in 2009 and has been a member of the St. Louis Film Critics organization since 2013.