The agony and the ecstasy

Lav Diaz and Filipino critic Alexis Tioseco discuss the working process behind the film Death in the Land of Encantos. Following the devastating passage of typhoon Durian in 2006 through the region of Bicol (island of Luzon), Lav Diaz travelled to the region to film the aftermath of the disaster, interviewing survivors among others. This text shows how Lav Diaz creates a hybrid form from this documentary material, which he considers too tragic, by mixing in fictional scenes. The result is a film that blends climactic tragedy and political conditions, survivor testimonies and fictional scenes, thus combining “metaphor and realism with greater force”.