While revisiting an unfinished script about a fearless protagonist trying to avenge his brother’s murder, Leonor is struck on the head by a falling television set and knocked into a coma. As she lays unconscious in the hospital, fantasy and reality begin to blur. An innovative blend of pulpy action homages, playful comedy, and touching family drama, Leonor Will Never Die is a wonderfully imaginative tribute to the art of filmmaking.
For in-depth thoughts on Leonor Will Never Die, please see my colleague Devin McGrath-Conwell’s review from its original Sundance debut here.
Video Quality
Leonor Will Never Die comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is very stylized while maintaining the aesthetic intention of the feature. This is a visually dynamic film with shifting aspect ratios between the “real life” sections of the narrative and the “film within a film” dream of Leonor. Overall, the transfer looks really great even though fine detail can struggle a bit due to what the filmmakers were trying to convey. The film appears to have been shot digitally with some post-production processing to capture the gritty, hazy aesthetic they wanted to achieve which this transfer executes flawlessly. The grain is resolved well without anything seeming too unwieldy or clumpy.
Colors pop more in the film world with numerous moments that impress from the lush nature to some of the heightened elements of the production design. The real world settings are typically a more reserved environment that presents with more moderate or antiseptic tones that the presentation represents perfectly with a pleasing richness. The biggest challenge of the real world is the boosted gamma which gives the daytime scenes a milky appearance. This lessens the depth of the contrast, but it remains in line with what the movie is hoping to achieve. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. The overall look of the film is soft and dreamlike, and this transfer represents it perfectly.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Filipino that brings this reality to life quite confidently. Although the film is not a traditional musical, the story uses music in really engaging and effective ways which always presents with unwavering fidelity. The sound design matches the sonic ambition of the narrative with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a really eclectic soundscape of nature and exaggerated action noises. The dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overshadowed by the sound effects or the score. Activity in the low end is moderate thanks to the music and certain altercations. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life in a really beautiful way. This disc offers optional English subtitles.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Martika Ramirez Escobar provides an informative commentary track in which she discusses the inspiration for the film, the elements of her real-life grandmother she placed in the main character, how the script evolved during production, how they settled on elements of the production design, pulling off specific stunts, arriving at the ending and more.
- A Film That Built Itself with Martika Ramirez Escobar: A nearly 24-minute interview with the writer-director in which she discusses the process of settling on an ending only to realize it needed to evolve, how the film continues to grow with every screening, crafting the action scenes inspired by her childhood family viewing, the casting of the picture, working with her producers, the “multiverse” aspect of the narrative, the music in the film and much more that adds quite a bit of rich context to the experience.
- Creature Feature – A Making Of Video Journal: A 14-minute video journal from Escobar who traces her journey back to her childhood, the process of making this film, the cancellation of the in-person Sundance experience, the continued life of the film and more.
- Pusong Bato – Short Film: A 21-minute short film from Escobar is provided which tells the tale of a fading actress who is eager to recapture some of the magic of her glory days of the ‘70s. Much like the feature film, this short provides a very thin line between fiction and reality in a really clever way.
- Galleries This disc includes a Photo Gallery, a Behind The Scenes Gallery and an Artwork Gallery.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer for the film is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Leonor Will Never Die is a really unique narrative which tells a very personal story through dramatically heightened means. Director Martika Ramirez Escobar presents the creative confidence of a much more seasoned filmmaker as she brings so much personality and depth to this journey. Star Sheila Francisco keeps this fantastical premise grounded in something emotionally raw and honest with a performance that ranks among the best of last year. Even when revisiting this one, the ending does not completely work for this particular reviewer, but there is so much to appreciate elsewhere within the movie that the experience is still a good one. Music Box Films Home Entertainment has given this film a Blu-Ray release featuring a grand A/V presentation and a fine amount of special features. Those who missed out on this one during its theatrical run will want to rectify that now. Recommended
Leonor Will Never Die will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 14, 2023. The film is currently available on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Music Box Films Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.