IF you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Dolly De Leon’s name at least once in the past year.
If it wasn’t for her shockingly good performance as a cleaning lady named Abigail in the Academy Award-nominated film Triangle of Sadness, then you may have heard about her because she’s set to star alongside Kathryn Bernardo in Petersen Vargas’s A Very Good Girl.
This dark comedy revolves around the lives of two powerful women, Philo and Molly. Though little has been revealed about the film so far, people are already talking about it, excited to see how the chemistry between the two veteran actresses will boil down on the big screen.
Sadly, this film won’t be released until October this year. Until then, here are some other films of De Leon’s that you can binge-watch in preparation for its screening:
- Billie and Emma (2018)
Want to settle down with a sweet love story for the evening? One film you can watch is Samantha Lee’s Billie and Emma, which tells the story of two young teenagers struggling to come to terms with their sexuality after they enter each other’s lives.
When Emma finds out she’s pregnant, she feels like it’s the end of the world. She’s suddenly at a loss for what to do, all her plans for the future seemingly unraveling by the moment. Amid all the chaos, a new kid named Billie starts to go to their school, confusing her even more.
There are a lot of things to love about this film, one of which is that many of the queer roles in this film are played by queer actors. Another is that, aside from being a representation of the LGBTQ+ community, it also talks about several other themes such as teenage pregnancy, abortion, and female agency.
And of course, the best thing about it: Dolly De Leon’s in it, starring as the sanctimonious, no-nonsense nun Sister Mary who runs the school both Billie and Emma attend. She rules the school with an iron fist, and strives for nothing but perfection.
Despite her rather small role in this film, De Leon still manages to bring depth and a sly comedic sense to the character, proving that no matter the role, she still kills it no matter what.
- History of Ha / Historya ni Ha (2021)
If you’re looking for something a bit on the darker side, you can always count on director Lav Diaz to deliver, just like with his film History of Ha.
This black-and-white dark comedy follows Hernando Alamada, a former member of the Huk insurgency who lay down his weapons to become a vaudeville star.
Here, he performs as a ventriloquist, trying to save up enough money to marry the love of his life, Rosetta. When he learns she’s marrying someone else, his plans quickly change.
On his journey, Hernando stumbles across a woman named Dahlia, who is played by De Leon. She accompanies him on his quest to Isla Diwata in a search for gold following the death of President Ramon Magsaysay.
This film serves as De Leon’s second film under Diaz, with her first being The Halt back in 2019, where she played a small role as the Minister of Education. Now, she takes center stage alongside John Lloyd Cruz in this film which shows no fear in discussing the political realities of the Philippines.
- Folklore (2021)
No, this has nothing to do with Taylor Swift. Created back in 2018 by Singaporean director Eric Khoo, the HBO Asia TV series centers each episode on different superstitions and myths from different countries in the Asian region.
The Philippine episode, 7 Days of Hell, was directed by Erik Matti and stars Dolly De Leon as Lourdes, a policeman and the mother of a boy named Eugene.
It highlights the Philippine concepts of the albularyo, the mangkukulam, and the mambabarang, in a story that shows Lourdes trying her best to save her son from an illness which she soon discovers is actually a powerful curse.
This series is a great deep dive into the Philippines’s deeply rich culture surrounding all things supernatural, and De Leon does a wonderful job of playing a concerned, inquisitive mother.
- Diary ng Panget (2014)
Remember this iconic but deeply problematic JaDine film? Remember Dolly De Leon being in it? Probably not.
If you haven’t yet heard of this film, Diary ng Panget is a film based on the Wattpad series written by user HaveYouSeenThisGirL back in 2011. It was turned into a film in 2014 by Viva Films. It starred Nadine Lustre as the main character, Eya, and James Reid as Cross, her bad boy love interest.
Born into a hard life, 18-year-old Eya is kicked out by her aunt, and she has no choice but to look for a job to support herself. She soon finds herself under the employment of a hotheaded young man named Cross, whose heart seems to have turned to stone after the loss of his mother.
Though it takes some time, but Eya slowly starts to break down Cross’s barriers, helping him find not just friendship, but romance as well.
This is one of De Leon’s first films, where she plays an unnamed doctor. Regardless, it’s still great to watch if you’re curious about the earlier phases of her career, and want to see how she’s grown since then. From a nameless doctor to one of the biggest actresses in Philippine television, she proves that dreams do come true.
- Iti Mapukpukaw / The Missing (2023)
One of De Leon’s most recent films is Iti Mapukpukaw, an animated Filipino Ilocano drama directed by Carl Joseph Papa. It looks at the life of young Eric, a boy with no mouth.
When he finds out that his uncle has passed away, an alien soon visits him, turning his life upside down when he tells him that he wants to take him away from Earth. On this journey, Eric unravels a number of mysteries in his life, slowly unlocking all that he couldn’t remember before.
In this film, De Leon plays Eric’s mother Rosalinda, whom he regularly calls despite her being in Ilocos. There is a certain warmth to her character; she feels real and well-rounded, as seen in how she vapes despite her role as a mother.
Despite her success in Triangle of Sadness, this film holds a special place in De Leon’s heart. Why?
As she accepted her award for Best Supporting Actress for this film at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independence Festival, she revealed that that was her first time going up on stage to receive acting recognition in the Philippines.
Though she’s made history in the U.S., she’s just now being recognized in her home country for her talents.
For that, Ms. De Leon, the Filipino people are sorry, and they’re definitely going to be making it up to you in the future.
