Summary
Fandom and power dynamics get interrogated in this brilliantly performed two-hander.
Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to see a production of the musical Fangirls on stage in Sydney. It’s a play that asks us to not underestimate how important and intense a connection fandom can be for teens, and to not dismiss it. Filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone (Never Not Love You) asks us something similar, although her pathway there is a little more couched in exploding the culture of male toxicity.
The titular fan girl in this case is schoolgirl Jane (Charlie Dizon), who is obsessed with heartthrob Paulo Avelino (playing a bravely fictionalised version of himself). After smuggling herself in the back of Paulo’s truck, Jane arrives back at his place and meets her hero. She soon discovers a side of him that she could never imagine, one who listens to metal, takes drugs and shows utter disdain for his fanbase.
One of the things that Jadaone conveys incredibly well is the fine line between fantasy and reality. Keeping in mind that Dizon is portraying a teenager, and has created a version of Paulo in her mind, what we see on screen constantly veers in and out of her delusions. There’s one sequence where we see the duo coupling up, only to realise it is a mastubatory fantasy moments later. Jadaone has set her trap early though — when the motif reoccurs later, we aren’t entirely sure what’s real and what isn’t.
The other side of the film is much darker, exploring power dynamics within the fan/star relationship. Paulo doesn’t immediately call the police or return Jane to her parents, perhaps basking in her unconditional adoration. “If you weren’t a kid, I’d have kissed you already,” he tells her, feeding into her fantasy. She blindly goes along with drinking to the point of being sick, taking up smoking and (in a more ambiguous thread) participating in an adult relationship with him.
Both performances are terrific in what is effectively a two-hander. Avelino’s willingness to paint himself as an entitled jerk, complete with anger management and substance issues, was a bold one. Yet it’s Dizon (actually in her 20s) playing a teen that is the award-winning performance, literally and figuratively bearing all for the cameras. There’s a scene where the two swap grief stories that’s emotionally disarming. Later, Jadaone treats a (possibly imagined) sex scene with the right degrees of tenderness, even if the level of control Paulo exhibits is still awkward to watch.
For the most part, this all works incredibly well, especially the ridiculously tense last 20 minutes in which everything goes off the rails. Fandom can be intense and life-changing, and at its best connects you with a wider community. Yet Jane is not necessarily left in a positive place by the end of the picture. So, don’t expect any easy resolutions here, but do expect to ponder this film long after it’s finished.
2020 | Philippines | DIRECTOR: Antoinette Jadaone | WRITERS: Antoinette Jadaone | CAST: Paulo Avelino, Charlie Dizon, Micko Laurente, Camille Penaverde, Milo Elmido Jr., Aikah Agnote, Bea Alonzo | DISTRIBUTOR: Epicmedia Inc., International Film Festival Rotterdam | RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 2-6 June 2021 (IFFR)
