THE KINGMAKER: Not All That Glitters Is Gold

History remembers the noble and the wicked, but it has a penchant for remembering the flashy. Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines, may be one of those rare cases that is all three. Noble or wicked is in the eye of the beholder, but no doubt she is an icon in vibrant silk gowns and designer shoes. The Kingmaker is a puzzling and glaring look into the life of this larger than life figure.

The Kingmaker is written and directed by Lauren Greenfield, who you may remember from her unyielding peek into the lifestyle of America’s nouveau riche in The Queen of Versailles. The subject of the documentary is the offputting, yet somehow beguiling Imelda Marcos. The film looks in on the rise and fall and return from the proverbial ashes of the Marcos political dynasty, from the perspective of both Imelda Marcos and citizens that survived her family’s regime.

Who is Imelda?

Imelda Marcos served as First Lady of the Philippines for 21 years, during that time she and  President Ferdinand Marcosillegally obtained a massive personal fortune. The Marcos family became infamous for living an impossibly lavish lifestyle during a time of poverty and civil unrest within the Philippines. The family was removed from power during the People Power Revolution and forced into exile. In 1996, after her husband’s death, Imelda was allowed to return to the Philippines and has enjoyed a resurgence of political success, being elected to the House of Representatives four times.

The Kingmaker contains multitudes, not just in the massive history and social context that it tackles but in the feeling that it is somehow telling two entirely separate stories. On one side, you have the activists and citizens that suffered under the Marcos regime. On the other, you have Imelda as the self-described mother of the Philippines. The disturbing part? The viewer can easily buy into both versions.

Imelda Marcos cuts a glamorous and likable figure. A beauty queen, in her day, that had an idyllic vision of making her home country a paradise. She’s an unreliable narrator obsessed with beauty and excess. As we listen to her speak, you are taken with her and all the opulence around her. She sort of descends upon the senses like a fairy godmother.

However, the sheen begins to wear off when you realize that all the pretty language is selling the childish fantasy of an incredibly shallow person. In many ways, Imelda Marcos calls back to another infamously glamorous woman in history, Marie Antoinette. In her mission to make the Philippines a “paradise,” Marcos  had several African animals shipped over to an island, which would displace the local population in favor of a safari park. The impact was detrimental.

Citizens were forced from their homes. Those that remained did not know how to cope with the invasive species and the damage the giraffes and zebras did to property and crops. As for the animals, the zookeepers Imelda hired were ill-equipped to care for these foreign animals. One particular shot shows an especially tragic injury in the shoulder of a female giraffe, the weeping wound on the beautiful animal really sums it all up.

A Portrait of a Super Power

Imelda’s influence grows from her being the face of her country. She was a vital part of foreign relations and this continues to fuel her mystique. The package is loving and beautifully arranged, the truth is that all of that silk and shoes (3000 pairs) is bought on stolen money. There’s no doubt that she can earn sympathy and affection, but the façade falls away when confronted with the reality outside of her glittering palace.

The great triumph of The Kingmaker is more than just its complete and stunning view of Marcos, but the juxtaposition of all that flash with heartbreaking interviews from activists that were tortured under martial law. The reality of the people could not be farther from the “let them eat cake” (or in this case “let them have giraffes”) world of the Marcos. The distance between those two worlds is so shocking that awe of the wealth quickly turns to disgust.

The documentary has impeccable timing, coming out the same year as another scathing criticism of class warfare, Parasite. Culturally, we’re at a point where we are prepared to be critical and questioning of social class and the abuses of power. But, as with Imelda and the people of the Philippines, past sins can be forgotten in favor of a warm smile.

The Kingmaker is an effective documentary that seduces as it informs. A really fascinating look at one of the most arresting figures in recent history. Don’t miss this one!

The Kingmaker opened in New York and Los Angeles on November 8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udbf4xQwWag