Photo courtesy of Netflix
In this crazy world full of uncertainties, one can't be vindicated for wanting to escape reality and live in their fantasy world. The award-winning film Fan Girl is as straight-forward as it can get with its storytelling that portrays much more than the story of Jane portrayed by Charlie Dizon as a fangirl who puts Paulo portrayed by Paulo Avelino himself, up on a pedestal.
Fan Girl depicts how poisonous it is to be blinded by extreme idolization of someone. It shows how people who are high on a pedestal have the power to manipulate the minds of those who look up to them. Consequently why despite the cruelty behind the words and actions of Paulo that Jane witnessed with her eyes, she remained entranced and dismissed the truth behind his real character.
Who would have thought that living your fantasy would turn into a nightmare? The Fan Girl experience will bring you to the edge with its thought-provoking scenes of Jane and Paulo that involve harassment, obsession, misogynistic perception, abuse, and many more before Jane wakes up from the nightmare she was in. But don't be fooled by the scenes before your eyes because Paulo is as much of a victim as Jane is.
Photo courtesy of San Diego Asian Film Festival
Several curse words, cigarettes, and beers later, the film will take you to a new perspective. There are various symbolic features in the film but the most striking is its significant ending. It may be subtle and you may think it lacks action but it depicts how a person feels after a long night of terror - dazed, relieved, and in dire need of a smoke.
Fan Girl will slap the reality in your face not once but multiple times until you get your wits back. The execution of the film is stitched in a way that will leave the audiences jaw hanging trying to grasp the scenes before their eyes, and the wheels in their head turning.
Photo courtesy of Letterboxd
It is no doubt that Charlie Dizon and Paulo Avelino deserved their Best Actress and Best Actor awards. It is also no surprise that a brave film that bagged major awards and is featured in international film festivals is written and directed by the remarkable Filipina filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone who also written and directed several Filipino films like 'That Thing Called Tadhana, 'Alone/Together', 'Never Not Love You', and many more that left a mark in the Filipino film industry.
antoinette jadaone speaks the ugly truth in her own style.
The award-winning film Fan Girl seems just the surface of many more Antoinette Jadaone films that will create history and it excites the audiences to see what is to come with Filipino films. Big applause to every single production staff and crew who contributed to the making of Fan Girl...the audience is ready for more!
Fangirl is available for streaming on Netflix.
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