‘Die Beautiful’ REVIEW: Paolo Ballesteros’ Passionate Portrait of a Beauty Queen
‘Die Beautiful’ REVIEW: Paolo Ballesteros’ Passionate Portrait of a Beauty Queen
Die Beautiful’s official poster.
Around ten years ago, Paolo Ballesteros’ trending makeup transformations as A-list celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande, entertained tens and thousands of Filipinos online. This real-life talent would soon be incorporated into the fictional story of Die Beautiful, where what was once a fun display of looks turned into a passionate, post-mortem portrait of a transgender beauty queen in Philippine society.
Die Beautiful, one of the renowned films from the acclaimed 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), graced the big screen again as the closing film for EnlighTEN: The IdeaFirst Film Festival, its production company’s 10th anniversary, last April 14, 2024 in Gateway Cineplex 18. Grossing over ₱98 million under a ₱15 million production budget, it was deemed profitable and a fan favorite as the second highest grossing film of the 2016 MMFF.
Directed by Jun Robles Lana and starring Paolo Ballesteros, Die Beautiful is a comedy-drama about the late Trisha Echevarria (Paolo Ballesteros), a transgender beauty queen who is given a different celebrity makeup look for each day of her funeral wake.
As her friends mourn and reminisce about her sudden passing after winning Binibining Gay Pilipinas, Trisha’s life story plays out through a non-linear narrative. In these fragmented slices of life, we witness Trisha’s journey from her traumatic childhood and high school life, to her tragedy and triumphs as a struggling beauty queen.
Paolo Ballesteros as Trisha Echevarria and Christian Bables as Barbs.
Paolo Ballesteros gives a performance of a lifetime as Trisha — one that has earned him a Best Actor award at both the 2016 MMFF and the 29th Annual Tokyo International Film Festival (his first international nomination). Embodying the entertaining flamboyance served by a Filipina drag queen and the conflicted nature of a transgender repressed by society, Ballesteros goes all out as the dead star of the film.
While he is well-known for his long-running comedy stint as a host for Eat Bulaga or his viral makeup showcases, Paolo Ballesteros is versatile as a dramatic actor, handling every expression with a soulful touch. His performance truly stands the test of time and it would be exciting to see him venture into challenging roles like these again.
While Paolo Ballesteros’ Trisha is the muse of Die Beautiful, flowers should also be given to Christian Bables’ supporting role as Barbs. The character that led him to a 2016 MMFF Best Supporting Actor award, Barbs is arguably Bables’ breakout film role before taking center stage in prestigious films such as Signal Rock (dir. Chito S. Roño) in 2018 and Big Night! (dir. Jun Robles Lana) in 2021.
This performance proves essential as Barbs’ character is the heart that drives the story. As Trisha’s makeup artist and best friend, Barbs has continuously supported her through life and has led others to appreciate her even after death. Bables’ comedic timing and chemistry with Ballesteros is exceptional, offering us one of the best on-screen friendships in local cinema.
Die Beautiful is also memorable for its commemoration of the LGBTQ+ community members and their revered female celebrity icons. This heartfelt gesture can be witnessed through Trisha’s post-mortem looks as Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, and Miley Cyrus, being dressed in a different full costume and makeup everyday by her friends as her last wish.
Notably, Iza Calzado and Eugene Domingo make show-stealing cameo appearances in the film, showing solidarity and support with the community that admires them dearly. Local gay beauty pageants and drag queens are also showcased in all their bright-colored costumes, wild talent shows, and hilarious introductions only Filipinos would understand.
Paolo Ballesteros’ Trisha Echevarria in Binibining Gay Pilipinas.
On some short technical notes, Die Beautiful is a good-looking film with strong cinematography by Carlo Mendoza. Its editing may seem messy at first (e.g. - Trisha’s high school self is followed by her drag queen days without clear transitions) but in the story’s context, it is how Trisha would remember her colorful but chaotic life.
Admittedly, the sequencing of events is something to really adapt to as an audience. The way the film is framed and shot is mostly conventional, almost like a true-to-life documentary, giving space to the bright performances and twist-filled story it unveils.
While I praise Die Beautiful for its wonders, it is disappointingly careless with its dark, visual depictions of trauma and sexual abuse. There are more subtle and sensitive ways in raising awareness on the aforementioned topics, rather than showing two unnecessary, minute-long rape scenes. This issue may seem minor compared to the bigger picture of the film but it unfortunately drags the story down and the audience away.
I believe that filmmakers should be more respectful in depicting trauma and abuse, not just to tell a better story, but to treat viewers better as a whole. Exposing the audience to the trauma by displaying its full violence does not raise awareness at all; it only sensationalizes the act into something less than its true and dangerous evil. Nevertheless, this is the only stain I find in the film’s passionate portrait of a film.
Trisha Echevarria at her wake as Beyonce.
Eight years later, Die Beautiful remains timeless with its tragic life story balanced with effective, very Filipino comedy, showcasing all the colors of a local drag / beauty queen’s life. It is heartwarming to see that Filipino audiences are more appreciative of the film’s deeper qualities compared to 2016. And even moreso, that society is becoming more accepting of our friends in the LGBTQ+ community.
The film was one big step towards better representation as for the longest time, queer characters were only used as one-dimensional comedic relief or challenging roles for straight macho men. Progress is still a long way though, as discrimination against drag queens and crimes against queer people are still on the rise.
Hopefully, Die Beautiful, through Paolo Ballesteros’ rare dramatic performance and Jun Robles Lana’s unique story, lives on as a passionate portrait of what it means to be a drag queen and a transgender woman in Philippine society. Here’s to more serious stories from the LGBTQ+ community about their friendship, love, life, and struggles worth representing, with full freedom on the big screen, for all to witness now and onto the next generations.
Die Beautiful was exclusively screened in Gateway Cineplex 18 for the EnlighTEN: The IdeaFirst Film Festival last April 14, 2024. It is also available to watch on Netflix.
