100
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
The film makes uncompromising demands on your attention and your empathy. But it is also illuminating and, in its downbeat, deliberate way, exhilarating.
The Woman Who Left (Ang Babaeng Humayo)
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Philippines
- 2017
- · 227m
Director
Lav Diaz
Cast
Charo Santos-Concio,
John Lloyd Cruz,
Michael De Mesa,
Nonie Buencamino,
Shamaine Buencamino
Genre
Drama
After spending the last 30 years in prison for a crime she did not commit, Horacia is finally released when someone else confesses to the crime. Still overwhelmed by her new freedom, she comes to the painful realization that her aristocratic former lover had set her up and sees the opportunity to plot her revenge.
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What are critics saying?
100
The Hollywood Reporter by Clarence Tsui
The Woman Who Left is an immensely immersive and engaging tale about a wronged individual's grueling struggle between reconciliation and revenge.
83
The Film Stage by Ethan Vestby
Highlighted by the black-and-white, The Woman Who Left is as nocturnal as the best noir, one of those films in which every transition from nighttime to daytime registers as a shock.
80
Screen Daily by Jonathan Romney
At once over-repetitive and less surprisingly digressive than some of his other films, The Woman Who Left may not represent Diaz at his absolute peak, but it’s a powerful, thoughtful melodrama that pulls you into its world and delivers a number of irresistible emotional coups.
80
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
It’s a film you have to feel your way into, like a ruined church or a haunted house.
80
Variety by Guy Lodge
This occasionally transcendent opus finds Diaz’s formal powers — not least his own incisive monochrome lensing — at full strength.
80
Screen International by Jonathan Romney
At once over-repetitive and less surprisingly digressive than some of his other films, The Woman Who Left may not represent Diaz at his absolute peak, but it’s a powerful, thoughtful melodrama that pulls you into its world and delivers a number of irresistible emotional coups.
80
CineVue by Ben Nicholson
Its specific frame of reference sees it build to a bleak and powerful conclusion, if one devoid of much hope.
75
Entertainment Weekly by Chris Nashawaty
The Woman Who Left may not be a movie for everyone, but if you allow yourself to settle into its leisurely tempo and marinate in its heroine’s journey, it can be a richly rewarding experience.
75
The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
The film boasts one of Diaz’s most dramatically conventional, involving, and satisfying narratives.
50
Slant Magazine by Carson Lund
It suffers by resembling arty, didactic bloat when it most begs for a more sophisticated dramatic touch.
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