The Woman Who Left

Horacia served thirty years for a murder she did not commit. When a friend in prison confesses that she was the killer, Horacia is released. Outside is not the place she knew: her husband is dead, her son has disappeared, her daughter does not recognise her. She goes into the streets to find the man who framed her, her former lover, and spends her nights walking the town. Those who gather around her tell her what they have lost. Lav Diaz's film draws on Tolstoy's story God Sees the Truth, But Waits. It runs close to four hours, is entirely in black and white, and consists of long static takes; the camera almost never moves. The narrative treats revenge not as an action but as an intention that keeps being postponed. Charo Santos plays Horacia and John Lloyd Cruz plays a man she meets on the street. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2016. Who it's for: Viewers who like slow cinema, Philippine cinema, and long-duration narrative experience. Who it's not for: The length and pace are heavy for most viewers. The plot also barely advances.