SUNDAY BEAUTY QUEEN (2016) Review
Directed by Baby Ruth Villarama
First time in a Metro Manila Film Festival that a documentary film is included, and the only entry directed by a female this year, Sunday Beauty Queen is what literally you can call a game changer. But does it really deserve to be included in this year’s MMFF Magic 8?
The short answer is yes. Although it is a documentary film, it has more to offer than some films who has more budget and has bigger stars, or actually has stars. It’s a documentary film about Filipino women working overseas for their family for six straight days and having their much-awaited and well-deserved rest on Sunday. But the thing is, they don’t really work per se, but they gather with fellow Filipinos for a grand event which usually is a beauty pageant by and for Filipinos. We see more than just the glam behind the pageant as the film gives us an insight on how it is living far from their family, in a foreign country with people they’re not related to.
While this is a documentary film, it doesn’t get boring because it tells five interesting and different stories. It’s variety of presenting stories that showcases courage, hope, having the will to live even if you’re far away from your family, and the will to stand up to failures. Sunday Beauty Queen champions the heart and spirit of the Filipinos, heroes of our generation, the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). And it’s a film that everyone should see as it opens the eyes to what their condition is outside the Philippines, their sacrifices, how they still manage to smile in spite of the work, the distance from their families and the unfair treatment to them.
It’s sad but also inspiring and uplifting, because these are real people, these are true stories. And their journey is more than enough to see the film. One of the magic a film can give its audience is to meet people, characters, and seeing Sunday Beauty Queen gives that magic of introducing a person into your life more than just a character but someone you give your sympathy to, not just because of their struggles but also because of their strength in overcoming every obstacles.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Sunday Beauty Queen” opens in cinemas December 25, 2016 as part of the 42nd Metro Manila Film Festival. Rated G by the MTRCB.