LGBT themed Born Beautiful, the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival’s top-grossing and critically acclaimed movie Die Beautiful, has pretty big shoes to fill, so to speak.
A box office hit, Die Beautiful had won both local and international awards not just for the movie, but for its director, Jun Robles Lana, and its cast led by Paolo Ballesteros. Seasoned comedian Ballesteros played transgender beauty queen Trisha, a role for which he garnered several Best Actor awards.
Directed by Perci Intalan, Born Beautiful did not disappoint, with film critics and enthusiasts giving excellent reviews for the drama-comedy film which puts the spotlight once more on the colorful life of members of the LGBT community.
The sequel revolves around the life of Trisha’s best friend Barbs Cordero, who tries to go on with his life as a mortuary beautician after Trisha’s sudden death at a pageant. Witnessing the death of yet another friend prompts Barbs to start a new life as a straight man. This led to a chain of events that will see Barbs go through many struggles and victories.
Reviews had it that lead star Martin del Rosario, who played Barbs, delivered an impeccable performance as a beautiful transgender woman, and that the movie is one of the bravest and funniest Filipino films ever.
“Born beautiful expertly weaponizes broad humor to address some really tough issues. Great stuff!”—Phil Dy @philbertdy
“A winning material to start the year for local moviedom. Brave use of mature languages and scenes. Short yet highly entertaining, it joins the rank of Asian films.”—Rod Magaru @rodmagaru
“Born Beautiful was just as awesome as I anticipated. The material and execution is gold, this is a comedy film, but makes you want to rid yourself of the stresses of life.”—John Bueno @kumagcow
Del Rosario’s love interests are played by hunks Kiko Matos and Akihiro Blanco, with whom he shares daring kissing and love scenes. Movie viewers will also see the special participation of Ballesteros in the movie being shown in over 160 cinemas nationwide and counting.
Born Beautiful is produced by Cignal Entertainment, the original content division of Cignal TV, the country’s largest pay-TV platform; Octobertrain Films and The IdeaFirst Company, which produced Die Beautiful, among other acclaimed film and series.
Now showing in local theaters, Born Beautiful will make you laugh, cry, and believe that love is beautiful.
