Film Review #1: Fan Girl (2020)

Antoinette Jadaone's Fan Girl might not be your usual and ideal Christmas Metro Manila Film Festival movie, but it is definitely worth watching.

I appreciate that Gian Arre's short film 'Paano Maging Babae,' which was played before the movie, presents a similar theme about women stereotypes. The way it delivered its message through touching base as well with the loopholes in the education system is just brilliant; it's like hitting two birds with one stone. They were able to stimulate my angst toward the unfair enforcement of norms to women in the society, while also being able to convey that the root of this injustice might be cultivated in the supposed-to-be educational institution.

Toxic 'stan' culture

Fan Girl, as the title suggests, attempts to tackle the obsessive culture of fans in the entertainment industry. This is prevalent not only in the local showbiz industry, but more so in international scene, such as in K-pop. Since I'm a K-pop fan myself, it's more comfortable for me to further discuss the 'stan' culture citing my experience and what I know as examples.

Nowadays, the term 'stan' is being used to denote that you're an avid fan of someone or something. While it is initially used as a noun, the word is also often used to encourage others to explore and appreciate an artist, actor, or a group. Like when I say "Stan EXO," this means I'm encouraging you to check them out, dive deep into their discography, and become their fan too. I also found out through research that way back, 'stan' is said to be coined from combining 'stalker' and 'fan.'

The movie Fan Girl started by establishing the premise that Jane (played by Charlie Dizon) is one of Paulo Avelino's ultimate fans or stans. Her obsession in admiring Paulo led her to follow him by riding on his pick-up truck, and eventually unraveling the unpleasant sides of her idol. In Korea, fans like Jane are more categorized as 'sasaengs' or stalker-fans. This issue is so rampant in the K-pop industry, to the point that some idols have repeatedly called out the inappropriate deed in public or whenever they communicate with their fans online.

It isn't wrong to know some information about your favorite actor or singer, given that you know your limits. In the movie, Jane went overboard with her admiration for Paulo, not only once, but a couple of times (I won't detail it further to avoid spoilers). Simply put, stalking your idols and invading their private lives shouldn't be tolerated anywhere else. We should know our limits as a fan. We should appreciate them for their talents, visuals, and personality. Even though we're the consumers of their contents, it doesn't give us the right to meddle with their personal affairs.

While it is unacceptable to be a stalker-fan, it is also said by many to 'Never meet your heroes.' Just like in the movie, it unveiled the dark and flawed version of celebrities. Though it makes them human seeing their vulnerabilities, it is also an eye-opener that while there is a toxic 'stan' culture, the entertainment industry is as equally suffocating. This may not be the general depiction of showbusiness, but we're getting a glimpse of how it can be in worst scenarios. Those hectic schedules, on-screen love teams (plus the act of making the people believe that they're a real deal), and the expectations to be prim and proper are also a lot to handle for celebrities.

Tolerating misogyny

Fan Girl, on an in-depth look, portrays how the society has been breeding and tolerating misogyny. What do you expect from a country being led by a foul-mouthed and misogynistic person himself? I like that the film used a celebrity or idol as a metaphor to portray the president, who thinks because he has power and influence, he can take advantage of other people. Men's superiority complex is shown in the movie too, which leads to women stereotypes and assaults. Kudos to Paulo in portraying toxic masculinity and how it affects the way women are generally being treated in this society.

While I highly commend Paulo Avelino's acting prowess, I would also like to give more spotlight to Charlie Dizon. She's a big revelation in this movie -- the way her eyes pierce through your soul when she's portraying emotions such as shock, fear, rage, and disappointment. Charlie breathed life to a high school student who was at first giddy by just being able to interact with her idol, but later on shattered her own fantasies and faced the harsh reality.

And to Direk Antoinette Jadaone, I hope you never cease to create films with social relevance. While most people only know you for That Thing Called Tadhana, Alone/Together, and other romantic feel-good movies, I'll be one of the few to always associate you to Six Degrees of Separation, Ekstra, and now, Fan Girl.

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