The Movie: Fan Girl
The Director: Antoinette Jadaone
The Cast: Charlie Dizon, Paulo Avelino, Bea Alonzo
The Story: Fan Girl is about a fanatical Paulo Avelino fan who meets her
onscreen idol in less than ideal circumstances after stowing away in the
back of his pickup truck.
The Interview:
The Review:
This is one of those movies that's going to run you through just about every
emotion forwards and backwards and then it twists you up at the end leaving
you with a heck of a lot to think about. I love these types of movies when
they are done well and director Antoinette Jadaone, she also wrote the story,
is apparently more than capable of pulling it off. These movies can also be
difficult to write about because I don't want to give away anything that might
lessen the experience for anyone before they watch it.
I have learned from this movie that Paulo Avelino is a very well known and
well liked actor in the Philippines which makes playing a not so likable
version of himself that much more interesting. The story deals with the perils
of extreme fandom and also the dangers of meeting those you idolize and
discovering they are not who you have built them up to be. Avelino's
performance is powerful in how he is able to run through such a wide range of
emotions while also manipulating both the audience and the other characters on
screen. The primary character in the movie is 16 year old Jane, played by
Charlie Dizon, who is beyond obsessed with Avelini and will apparently do
anything to meet him.
Dizon's performance as Jane is absolutely stunning and really makes this movie
the special experience that it turns out to be. The way she presents Jane as
an over the top, nearly crazed fan in a way that I was totally able to
understand was very impressive and I will say is one of the best work I have
seen so far this year. There must have been a lot of discussion between Dizon
and Jadaone as far as just how far and where to take the character as the
story plays out and the third act is like a gut punch combo that is not very
easy to recover from as a viewer. I don't want that statement to scare you
away from the movie, but just know that you will not find the standard too
easy, too happy ending you might find in other movies
The Verdict:
Fan Girl is an intensely emotional drama that will make you take a hard
look at both sides of pop culture fandom. Antoinette Jadaone's heartbreaking
story is brought to life brilliantly by Charlie Dizon and Paulo Avelino in the
lead roles. Buckle up and prepare yourself for an emotional journey that does
not let you off the hook as easily as you might want it to.
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