The Search for Weng Weng

Director - Andrew Leavold (The Last Pinoy Action King, Birds of Destruction)
Starring - Tikoy Aguiluz (Boatman, Triangle), Roy Arabejo, and Tilman Baumgaertel
Release Date - 2007
Genre - Documentary
Tagline - "He's tough.  He's tender.  He's three feet tall"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I watched a few good horror flicks recently.  After working through a few classic films recently released by Synapse Films I decided to step away from my beloved genre for something a little different.  I first settled for a sleazy good time with Vinegar Syndrome but changed my mind when I spotted a released from Wild Eye in my collection.  Sometime ago Wild Eye Releasing sent me the documentary The Search for Weng Weng.  This documentary was wrapped in 2007 but just recently got a release from Wild Eye.  Weng Weng was a myth among exploitation and b-movie cinema fans for years until recently with this documentary shedding light on several aspects of Weng Weng's life that went unknown until now.  I want to thank Wild Eye for sending this one over for Horror Society and myself to check out.
     This documentary follows an Australian filmmaker and Weng Weng fan as he travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth around the mystery that is Weng Weng.  Weng Weng is a small actor who portrayed Agent 00 in several James Bond rip offs, as well as, several western comedies.  They discover that Weng Weng passed in the early 90s, was unofficially adopted and exploited by the filmmaker, and died with nothing.  During their investigation they learn a great deal about filmmaking in the region at the time and how the political powers at be lead to several of his films never being released.
       
     I knew nothing about Weng Weng prior to receiving this DVD.  I had seen images of him on different horror and exploitation forums over the years but never actually sought out who he was.  Hell, I still wouldn't if I would have never received this documentary.  Now that I know I want to find his films.  They look absolutely amazing.  The interviews in this one are great.  They are extremely informative and detailed.  The people being interviewed give off a vibe that they were aware of what they was going to be asked ahead of time and was able to actually prepare for it.  These interviews take the viewer from not knowing a damn thing about Ernesto, aka Weng Weng, to knowing everything about his upbringing, film career, unofficial adoption, and death.  The film also does a great job at showcasing how the Philippines and political powers affected the films and repressing Weng Weng as to not tarnish their look.  The film does not use any sort of computer images or "polish" to make it look better or better looking.  This documentary is barebones in the way it looks.  We have the subjects on screen and the investigation on Weng Weng which is something I really like.  The documentary is not over produced or made to look bigger than it actually was.  Finally, the editing and transitioning in this is smooth.  We casually stroll from one topic to the other.  This was great and made the documentary even more effective.  Overall, The Search for Weng Weng is a must for b-movie fanatics and exploitation aficionados.  Check out this superb documentary as soon as possible.