Die Beautiful
Die Beautiful is a Filipino LGBT comedy-drama film directed by Jun Robles Lana and produced by Jun Robles Lana, Ferdinand Lapuz and Perci M. Intalan, from a story by Jun Lana and screenplay by Rody Vera. It stars Paolo Ballesteros as Trisha, a trans woman who suddenly died after she was crowned winner of a gay beauty pageant and her friends who transform her into a different person on each night of her wake in a different location as a way to avoid being buried as a man by her father. It also tackles her whole life when she felt and dealt with problems and successes on living as a Filipina transgender as well as controversy in her family.
| Die Beautiful | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Screenplay by | Rody Vera |
| Story by | Jun Robles Lana |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Carlo Mendoza |
| Edited by | Benjamin Tolentino |
| Music by | Richard Gonzales |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Regal Entertainment |
Release dates | |
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages |
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| Budget | ₱15 million |
| Box office | ₱98 million[1] (Official 2016 MMFF run) ₱110 million (Official Worldwide Run) |
The film had its premiere at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 27, 2016, in Tokyo, Japan[2] and it became an official entry to the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival.[3]
Plot
Trisha Echevarria (Paolo Ballesteros), is a transgender woman whose sexuality is greatly opposed by her father (Joel Torre), causing her to leave their house and live with her best friend Barbs (Christian Bables).
At present, Trisha is already dead. She died when she was newly crowned as Binibining Gay Pilipinas. Every day in her wake, Trisha undergoes makeup transformations into different female celebrities, which she owes to the makeup skills of Barbs. The best friends enjoyed doing makeup transformations together when Trisha was still alive.
Iza Calzado, who crowned Trisha in Binibining Gay Pilipinas, visits the wake at the time when Trisha's makeup transformation is Iza's face. During Trisha's transformation as Miley Cyrus, the funeral parlor owner Flora (Lou Veloso) takes a selfie with her and uploads it online. The photo goes viral, making Trisha's wake an attraction even for people who do not know her, much to Barbs' disapproval. Couturier Eugene Domingo also visits the wake and brings a white gown for Trisha to wear during her transformation as Julia Roberts from the Runaway Bride.
Flashbacks of Trisha's life were shown. Teenage Trisha, who was still Patrick then, studying in the same school with Barbs. Patrick has a crush on basketball player Migs (Albie Casiño) and goes out with him one night after Barbs' encouraging. He gets gang-raped by a drunk Migs and his friends, causing an anal bleeding. Patrick's father, with his sister Beth (Gladys Reyes), visits him in the hospital and finds out about what happened, slapping him.
The relationship of Patrick and his father is further strained as Patrick secretly joins gay beauty contests. Eventually, his dad disowns him. As he exits their house, Patrick announces his new identity: Trisha Echeverria.
Barbs and his mother let Trisha stay with them. Trisha adopts an orphaned child named Adora and renames her as Shirley Mae. Not having jobs, Trisha and Barbs continue to join pageants. Trisha usually loses because of failing the question and answer portion. She then gets breast implants, thinking that it will help her win pageants.
Trisha dates a young gay club dancer named Miko. She even pays for Miko's rhinoplasty but their relationship is short-lived as she finds out that Miko is having an affair with a gay beauty parlor owner (Mel Martinez).
Trisha meets Jesse (Luis Alandy) at a bar. Although Jesse is married, they start dating. On their sixth monthsary, Jesse fails to arrive. A month after, Jesse's wife Diana invites Trisha to a hospital where Jesse was confined due to leukemia. Jesse informs Trisha about his condition and confesses that their meeting was not accidental. Jesse was urged by his conscience as he was one of Migs' friends involved in the gang rape. Although he tells Trisha that he grew to love her, Trisha is distraught and leaves.
Trisha joins Binibining Gay Pilipinas and picks a question she has encountered before. She delivers her memorized answer well "..if I'll die and be blessed to live again, I would choose to be nobody, nobody but me." At the backstage, Trisha jokingly tells Barbs that if she wins the pageant, she will be ready to die. She further elaborates the details of her funeral: to have a makeover as different celebrities every day. Trisha finally wins but shortly dies of cerebral aneurysm.
In the morgue, Trisha's father and sister arrive. Her father orders to have Trisha's breast implants removed. Beth disagrees. Their father ends up having Trisha dressed in a Barong tagalog. Barbs, Paola, and Erica get disappointed at the sight of their friend and asks for Beth's help to sneak out Trisha's corpse and give her the burial she wished for.
In the last day of her wake, Barbs announces that the final makeover of Trisha is what she really is: the Trisha they knew who lived a glamorous life. The movie ends with Trisha's final walk message, showing a younger version of herself.
Other celebrity transformations of Trisha during her wake are Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce.
Cast
Main cast
- Paolo Ballesteros as Trisha Echevarria / Patrick[4]
- Christian Bables as Barbs
Supporting cast
- Joel Torre as Papa
- Gladys Reyes as Beth
- Luis Alandy as Jesse
- Albie Casiño as Migs
- Faye Alhambra as Shirley Mae
- Inah de Belen as teen Shirley Mae
- IC Mendoza as Paola
- Cedrick Juan as Erika
- Lou Veloso as Flora
- Mimi Juareza as Mommy
Guest cast
- Iza Calzado as herself
- Eugene Domingo as herself
- Mel Martinez as gay parlor owner
- Jade Lopez as Diana
- Adrianna So
- Kokoy de Santos as Michael Angelo
Production
Die Beautiful is a film funded by Hong Kong – Asia Financing Forum and produced by Regal Entertainment, The IdeaFirst Company, and Octobertrain Films.[5] The film was directed by Jun Robles Lana and produced by Lily Monteverde, Roselle Monteverde and Perci Intalan.[3][6][7]
Release
Die Beautiful was selected in the Main Competition of the Tokyo International Film Festival, which ran from October 25, 2016, to November 3, 2016.[8][9]
The film is an official entry to the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival, and was screened at the 2017 Luang Prabang Film Festival.
Reception
At the awarding ceremony at the Tokyo International Film Festival which was held on November 3, 2016, at the Toho Cinemas in Roppongi Hills in Japan, Paolo Ballesteros was named the festival's Best Actor. The film also won the Audience Choice Award.[10][11]
The jury was headed by French director Jean-Jacques Beineix, and included Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung, U.S. producer Nicole Rocklin, Italian actor Valerio Mastandrea and Japanese director Hideyuki Hirayama.
A total of 16 films, with Die Beautiful being the only one from the Philippines, were in competition.
Sequel
It was announced that a sequel was in production to be a 12-part spin-off television series to be aired on Cignal Play entitled Born Beautiful with Paolo Ballesteros reprising his role and Martin del Rosario picking up the role of Barbs which was originally portrayed by Christian Bables.[12][13] Instead, the producers decided to make it into a full-length film with majority of the story focusing on Barbs.[14]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 29th Tokyo International Film Festival[15] | Audience Choice Award | Die Beautiful | Won |
| Best Actor | Paolo Ballesteros | Won | ||
| 21st International Film Festival of Kerala[16] | Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance | Won | ||
| 42nd Metro Manila Film Festival[17] | Best Picture | Die Beautiful | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Jun Lana | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Paolo Ballesteros | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bables | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Gladys Reyes | Nominated | ||
| Best Ensemble Cast | Die Beautiful | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Rody Vera | Nominated | ||
| Best Production Design | Angel Diesta | Nominated | ||
| Best Float | Die Beautiful | Won | ||
| MMFF My Most Favorite Film (Audience Choice Award) | Won | |||
| 2017 | Film Development Council of the Philippines[18] | Film Ambassadors Awardee | Paolo Ballesteros & Jun Lana | Won |
| 19th Gawad Pasado Awards[19] | Pinakapasadong Pelikula sa Kamalayang Pagkakapantay-pantay ng mga Kasarian | Die Beautiful | Won | |
| Natatanging Gawad Pasado para sa Taong 2016 | Paolo Ballesteros | Won | ||
| 15th Gawad Tanglaw Awards[20] | Best Actor | Won | ||
| Guild of Educators, Mentors and Students[21] | Won | |||
| Gawad Bedista Awards 2017[22] | Actor of the Year (Film) | Won | ||
| 48th GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards[23] | Global Achievement by a Filipino Artist (Tokyo Best Actor) | Won | ||
| 1st Eddys Awards (Entertainment Editors' Choice Awards for Movies)[24] | Best Actor | Won | ||
| Best Editing | Die Beautiful | Won | ||
| Best Production Design | Won | |||
| 40th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Actor | Paolo Ballesteros | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bables | Won | ||
| Best Production Design | Angel Diesta | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Benjamin Gonzales Tolentino | Nominated | ||
| 33rd PMPC Star Awards for Movies | Movie of the Year | Die Beautiful | Won | |
| Movie Director of the Year | Jun Lana | Won | ||
| Movie Actor of the Year | Paolo Ballesteros | Nominated | ||
| Movie Supporting Actor of the Year | Christian Bables | Nominated | ||
| New Movie Actor of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Movie Screenwriter of the Year | Rody Vera | Won | ||
| Movie Cinematographer of the Year | Carlo Mendoza | Won | ||
| Movie Production Designer of the Year | Angel Diesta | Nominated | ||
| Movie Editor of the Year | Benjamin Tolentino | Won | ||
| Movie Musical Scorer of the Year | Richard Gonzales | Nominated | ||
| Movie Sound Engineer of the Year | Armand De Guzman and Lamberto Casas, Jr. | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | 5th Paragala Central Luzon Media Awards[26] | Best Film | Die Beautiful | Won |
| Best Actor | Paolo Ballesteros | Won |
References
- ^ "MMFF 2016 Total Gross: 'Vince & Kath & James at PHP 125 million; 'Die Beautiful' at PHP 98 million". Movie Journals Ph. Retrieved January 8, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ . International Business Times PH. October 27, 2016. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ a b Calderon, Ricky (August 8, 2016). "Paolo Ballesteros stars in 2 upcoming films". philstar.com. The Philippine Star. The Freeman. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ Acar, Aedrianne (July 12, 2016). "IN PHOTOS: Paolo Ballesteros as a transwoman in 'Die Beautiful'". GMA Network Portal. GMA Network. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ Dabu, Bianca Rose (March 2, 2015). "Paolo Ballesteros to star as transgender woman in indie film". GMA News Online. GMA Network, Inc. GMA News. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "LOOK: Paolo Ballesteros bares 'boobs' for upcoming film". inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 5, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ Gabinete, Jojo. "Paolo Ballesteros bares prosthetic boobs for Die Beautiful". pep.ph. Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "PH film 'Die Beautiful' to compete in Tokyo Film Festival". Rappler. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ Sallan, Edwin P. . InterAksyon.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ News, ABS-CBN. "Paolo Ballesteros wins Best Actor at Tokyo film fest". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Paolo Ballesteros wins Best Actor at Tokyo film fest, accepts award as 'Julia Roberts'". Rappler. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ "'Born Beautiful' on CignalTV". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ "Martin del Rosario tells Christian Bables: "Itutuloy ko lang ang laban mo."". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ Aldana, Ida (September 27, 2018). "The Sequel to Die Beautiful Is Almost Here". spot.ph. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ "Paolo Ballesteros wins Best Actor in Tokyo International Film Festival". gmanetwork.com. GMA News Online. November 3, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^ "Paolo Ballesteros wins another int'l award for 'Die Beautiful'". inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 19, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "MMFF 2016 winners revealed: Paolo Ballesteros, Irma Adlawan named Best Actor and Best Actress". pep.ph. Philippine Entertainment Portal. December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "FDCP honors film ambassadors". bworldonline.com. BusinessWorld. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ "Your Guide To 19th Gawad Pasado". www.psr.ph. PSR. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ "Charo Santos, Jaclyn Jose,Paolo Ballesteros at Allen Dizon, big winners at the 15thGawad Tanglaw". push.abs-cbn.com. ABS-CBN Corporation. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ "Paolo nakatanggap ng 4 bagong award para sa 'Die Beautiful'". bandera.inquirer.net. Bandera. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ "Paolo recently won the Actor of the Year award in the Gawad Bedista". gmanetwork.com. GMA Network. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ Aquino, Anne Charmaine (April 23, 2017). "Kapuso program and stars, wagi sa 48th Box Office Entertainment Awards". GMA Network, Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ Policarpio, Allan (July 12, 2017). "Vilma, Paolo top entertainment editors' choices". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- ^ Rappler (July 20, 2017). "FULL LIST: Winners, Gawad Urian Awards 2017". Rappler. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ GMA News Online (March 12, 2018). "Mga Kapuso, wagi sa 5th Holy Angel University Paragala Central Luzon Media Awards". GMA News. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
External links
- Die Beautiful at IMDb