''Die Beautiful'' is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

comedy-drama film directed by

Jun Robles Lana Rodolfo R. Lana Jr. (born October 10, 1972), known professionally as Jun Robles Lana, is a Filipino filmmaker. The winner of 11 Palanca Awards for Literature, he became the youngest member of the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2015, he direc ...

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. The film had its premiere at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 27, 2016, in Tokyo, Japan and it became an official entry to the

2016 Metro Manila Film Festival The 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 42nd edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. It is organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). This is the first ...

Plot

Trisha Echevarria ( Paolo Ballesteros), is a transgender woman whose sexuality is greatly opposed by her father (

Joel Torre José Rizalino "Joel" de León Torre (born June 19, 1961) is a Filipino actor and producer who is best known for his numerous films such as the biographical film ''José Rizal'' (1998), crime thriller film '' On the Job'' (2013) and the historica ...

), causing her to leave their house and live with her best friend Barbs (

Christian Bables Christian Mercurio Bables (born December 6, 1992), is a Filipino actor. He was declared Best Leading Actor at the 5th Hanoi International Film Festival for his character "Intoy" in the movie ''Signal Rock''. He was also given a Best Supporting ...

). At present, Trisha is already dead. She died when she was newly crowned as Binibining Gay Pilipinas. Everyday 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 Maria Izadora Ussher Calzado-Wintle (born August 12, 1982), known professionally as Iza Calzado (), is a Filipino actress, television host, dancer and model. She is dubbed as the "''Goddess of Horror Films''" by local media for her acting prowe ...

, 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 Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...

, the funeral parlor owner Flora (

Lou Veloso Luciano "Lou" Mariñas Veloso (born January 7, 1948) is a Filipino actor, comedian, director and politician. He is known for his supporting roles in over 30 comedy films, which include ''Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang'' (1985), ''Pulis Patola'' (1993 ...

) 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 Eugena Roxas Domingo (born July 23, 1971), popularly known as Eugene Domingo, is a Filipino actress, comedienne and host. She has performed in lead and supporting roles in various genres of the Philippine film industry. She is popularly known as ...

also visits the wake and brings a white gown for Trisha to wear during her transformation as

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...

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 Alan Benedict Lee Hernandez Casiño (born May 14, 1993), popularly known as Albie Casiño, is a Filipino actor best known for his role as Christian in the 2010 hit series, ''Mara Clara''. Personal life Casiño was involved in a controversy wi ...

) 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 Gladys Sommereux (née Reyes; born June 23, 1977), is a Filipino actress best known for her role as "Clara," the lead villainess from the 90s ABS-CBN hit series '' Mara Clara''. In 2012, after years with her home network ABS-CBN, she transferred ...

), 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 Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

. 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 Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

, and Beyonce.

Cast

Main cast

* Paolo Ballesteros as Trisha Echevarria / Patrick *

as Barbs

Supporting cast

as Papa *

as Beth * Luis Alandy as Jesse *

as Migs * Faye Alhambra as Shirley Mae *Inah de Belen as teen Shirley Mae *

IC Mendoza Isaiah Culleen Carvajal Mendoza (born January 14, 1988), better known as IC Mendoza, is a Filipino actor, model, and television personality. Early life Isaiah Culleen Carvajal Mendoza was born on January 14, 1988 in Makati Medical Center, Maka ...

as Paola * Cedrick Juan as Erika *

as Flora * Mimi Juareza as Mommy

Guest cast

as herself *

as herself * Mel Martinez as gay parlor owner * Jade Lopez as Diana * Adrianna So *

Kokoy de Santos Ronald Marquez de Santos Jr. (born May 15, 1998), known professionally as Kokoy de Santos, is a Filipino actor, singer, dancer, and commercial model. His movie ''Fuccbois'' was an official entry to 15th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film F ...

as Michael Angelo

Production

''Die Beautiful'' is a film funded by Hong Kong – Asia Financing Forum and produced by

Regal Entertainment Regal Entertainment, Inc. (formerly and more commonly known as Regal Films) is a Philippine film production company based in Pasig. It was founded by Lily Monteverde on August 19, 1962. It has produced movies of all genres; and is the oldest s ...

, The IdeaFirst Company, and Octobertrain Films. The film was directed by

and produced by

Lily Monteverde Lily Yu Monteverde, nicknamed Mother Lily (born August 19, 1938), is a Filipina film producer and businesswoman. She is the first and many Filipina Movie producers who produced the boom of blockbuster films in different genres in the 70s and 80 ...

, Roselle Monteverde and Perci Intalan.

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. The film is an official entry to the

, 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 is a Japanese movie theater company. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toho Co., Ltd. Overview Virgin Cinemas Japan Ltd. was founded by Japanese-American businessman Mark Yamamoto on September 12, 1997. Virgin Cinemas Trias Hisayama, their ...

Roppongi Hills is a development project in Tokyo and one of Japan's largest integrated property developments, located in the Roppongi district of Minato, Tokyo. Constructed by building tycoon Minoru Mori, the mega-complex incorporates office space, apartm ...

in Japan, Paolo Ballesteros was named the festival's Best Actor. The film also won the Audience Choice Award. The jury was headed by French director

Jean-Jacques Beineix Jean-Jacques Beineix (; 8 October 1946 – 13 January 2022) was a French film director best known for the films ''Diva'' and ''Betty Blue''. His work is regarded as a prime example of the ''cinéma du look'' film movement in France. Early life ...

, and included Hong Kong director

Mabel Cheung Mabel Cheung (, born 17 November 1950) is a film director from Hong Kong. She is one of the leading directors in Hong Kong cinema and is considered one of the three women (along with Ann Hui and Clara Law) to achieve acclaim in the New Wave/Se ...

, U.S. producer Nicole Rocklin, Italian actor

Valerio Mastandrea Valerio Mastandrea (born 14 February 1972) is an Italian film, stage and television actor. Life and career He was born in Rome. While being a student of philosophy, in the early 1990s Mastandrea enjoyed some success thanks to the semi-regular pa ...

and Japanese director

Hideyuki Hirayama is a Japanese film director. His theatrical debut was the film '' Maria's Stomach'' in 1990. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for '' The Games Teachers Play'' in 1992. In 1995, '' School Ghost Stories'' was a big hit and ma ...

. A total of 16 films, with ''Die Beautiful'' being the only one from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, 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 Martin Miguel Mangay del Rosario (born November 25, 1992) is a Filipino actor and model who is known for his portrayal of Norberto Matias in the 2011 drama series ''Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', as Severino Monzon in the TV adaptation of '' Pintad ...

picking up the role of Barbs which was originally portrayed by

. Instead, the producers decided to make it into a full-length film with majority of the story focusing on Barbs.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{MMFF 2016 films 2016 LGBT-related films Philippine comedy-drama films Philippine LGBT-related films Films about trans women Films about families Films about death Philippine New Wave Regal Entertainment films Films directed by Jun Robles Lana