I had high expectation for this movie but 30 minutes after, I wanted to fast forward. It's not that I don't like long Lav Diaz movies, I was totally entertained with Norte; but I found Horacia, perhaps uninteresting. Perhaps I have a bias with Santos-Concio, a bigwig in TV in the Philippines, and I have trouble believing in her portrayal as a wronged woman.
Having seen the ad also didn't help, all the highlights of the movie is in the 1 minute ad, the rest of the movie is just long takes of street view, night view, church view, etc. That's ok except, it has little to do forwarding the story. I also frown upon black and white movies that are too grainy, I wanted to turn on the sharp button.
So see this if you are a Lav Diaz fan or if you have 3 hours to spare. Otherwise, you are better off with Norte.
Review of The Woman Who Left
