We are welcomed by Die Beautiful with a montage of home videos featuring a fabulous adolescent, practicing as he would in a beauty pageant, adorned with the necessary accessories, improvised and all, complete with a question-and-answer portion. It was a delightful scene to watch: of such wide-eyed optimism and freedom that are soon halted by the voice of the boy’s father. Jun Robles Lana’s prelude to his latest work paves the tortuous but rewarding path for the remainder of its two-hour running time.
A few years forward, the wide-eyed but repressed adolescent is now Trisha (Paolo Ballesteros), a transgender woman. She still pursues her dream of winning a beauty pageant, visiting barrio after barrio, with her friend, Barbs (Christian Bables). In between, Trisha also grooms her adopted daughter to forge the same path as her own. Throughout the course of the movie, we see how Trisha lives a colorful life, and manages different roles as many as the different faces she paints on herself, and ultimately witness her inevitable demise.
On the surface, most of its story is an amalgamation of various tropes on the subject of gender and identity that have already been discussed by films past: on empowerment, self-acceptance, and self-love. Yet Die Beautiful walks bravely on the context of a patriarchal society whose laughter marks pitying tolerance, and whose disgusted eyes are still clouded with prejudice. Yes, the film’s characters are occasionally made the subject of comic relief; but past the witty and colorful banter, humor acts as a mask and a protective shield to these people who have suffered enough.
Choice is a strong theme on Trisha’s story, who fought her way to be able to make one. She was once emotionally tortured by her close-minded and violent father (played by a menacing Joel Torre). Her non-confrontational sister (Gladys Reyes) becomes a representation of everything that renders this society frustratingly stagnant from progressing, as she lets terrible things happen as they are. Then we see Trisha’s friends, especially Bables’ affecting portrayal as Trisha’s best friend who makes her realize that family is equally recognized by choice.
There is an important scene right at the middle that turns everything around for this dark comedy. Lana features a powerful exchange between Trisha and Barbs. Trisha wondered that she was not forced to do things, nor was she prevented from walking away. She knew she had a choice; but she wonders why she felt powerless.
Empowerment precedes choice, as further discussion proves in its tackling of both gender and body politics. Trisha acknowledges that her body is her own, and playfully tells that she could improve what was given to her. And as time will tell, her body, which she adorned with all the fascinating clothes and make-up, represents her own eventual empowerment. Her body is an expression of her power to choose, of her liberation from the norms that bound and tortured her. It is the only thing she can call truly her own, despite everything.
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While the film might occasionally suffer from pacing issues, the remaining technical aspects of this film are executed beautifully. Everything feels full-bodied, so to speak. Die Beautiful maintains engagement where it matters. It effortlessly becomes quintessential viewing, as there is much to be discussed, and much to be realized in a country that is no stranger to beauty pageants, but still struggles to walk.
