The 1980s in Filipino film was a peculiar time, when cinema contributions often verged on the novel and gimmicky in ways which these days would be considered largely distasteful and taboo. One of the kooky characters to emerge from the Filipino b-film offerings was two-foot-nine James Bond miniature Weng Weng, a size-challenged action hero, debuting with his film For Your Height Only making him into one of the first Filipino movie stars.
The documentary relays Australian cult video-store-owner-turned- filmmaker Andrew Leavold’s quest to discover the real Weng Weng beyond the screen; to find out where he came from and what became of him after his short film career. The answers to these questions in actuality seem relatively simple to find but are consequently dragged out throughout the film’s unnecessarily long running time.
The film becomes enthralling when Weng Weng is at the forefront of the story. As strips of his cinema characters are removed,the viewer learns the sad reality of Weng Weng’s life as a physically disabled man who was abused for the profits of the director who adopted him as his son. Weng Weng was not so much treated as an actor, but an object of amusement. Ridiculed and belittled for his height his whole life yet it was this disadvantage that propelled him to stardom.
Depictions of Weng Weng’s personality were given through second-hand accounts and distant memories, caricaturing and reducing his identity as nothing more than a sweet boy who never grew up. These accounts would have benefitted from differing perspectives, instead of which they come across as more biased hearsay victimizing Weng Weng’s character.
While the film promises an in-depth look at the origins of the mini-Bond’s life and film history, it very quickly veers off course. The rise and fall of Filipino cinema quickly becomes the dominant theme, overshadowing and muddling the film’s original premise. There are several moments in the documentary when the viewer has no clear connection between the point of the interview or background study that is being shown in relation to Weng Weng.
Film quality is shaky and inconsistent, and, while obviously not an easy documentary to shoot due to changing and unpredictable environments, at times it is impossible to hear the interviewees’ answers because of static sound and interference. There also could have been a more imaginative story-telling with vision and graphics. The film’s homogenized structural blueprint of repeatedly switching from interview to 80s videos of Weng Weng in action produces a monotonous and amateurish effect.
While Leovald’s efforts and dedication to his subject are commendable, the resulting documentary lacks focus and climaxes without a true sense of who the real Weng Weng actually was.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
The Search for Weng Weng
Director: Andrew Leavold
Australia, 2007, 92 min
Melbourne International Film Festival
www.miff.com.au
31 July – 17 August
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