'The Woman Who Left' trivia and fun facts
Thanks to Leo Tolstoy
Lav Diaz was inspired by the Leo Tolstoy story 'God Sees the Truth, But Waits', first published in 1872. Diaz then wrote the treatment for 'The Woman Who Left' in two days and sent it to lead actress Charo Santos-Concio and the film's producer, Ronald Arguelles. An hour after he sent the email, Concio said yes.
Her return
This is actress Charo Santos-Concio's first feature film in 17 years.
Natural light
The film was shot with a Sony a7s II, a small Ultra-HD camera with strong low-light performance. This allowed director Lav Diaz to use preferably natural light in the scenes.
A small team
The efficient production team of 'The Woman Who Left' had less than 20 members. They already worked on other features of Lav Diaz, so they were comfortable with Diaz's signature long takes and frequent improvisations. Each of the crew members performed multiple tasks and they even appeared as actors or extras on-screen when needed.