The 44th Gawad Urian of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino was staged last week with the documentary film Aswang as the big winner. So, what happened to Fan Girl? This film obviously has its own following.
Below, let me share with you a little story about Fan Girl from the perspective of a Manunuri member.
When Fan Girl became the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival sensation, movie aficionados lost no time comparing it to another filmfest entry, the 1980 Nora Aunor picture, Bona. I don’t believe those two films should be compared.
The character of Nora in Bona is not a fan, but more of an unpaid alalay. The part played by Phillip Salvador there is not even a full-fledged movie star. He is nothing but a bit player who has no followers yet, except Bona who is infatuated with him.
Bituing Walang Ningning is actually closer to Fan Girl. It is a film about fan mentality since Sharon Cuneta’s Doreena Pineda starts out as a fan in the story. It just so happens that she also has singing talent which is why she eventually becomes a threat to her idol, Cherie Gil’s Lavinia Arguelles.
Fan Girl – now, that’s the ultimate film about how the mind of a movie fan operates. It illustrates up to what extent a devoted fan would do all in the name of idolatry.
Written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, Fan Girl casts Paulo Avelino as a fictionalized version of himself. As a screen idol, he commands a large following and among his fans is a female student, played by Charlie Dizon.
Charlie is so crazy about him that she even follows him in all his public appearances. After one mall show, Charlie finds an opportunity to hang out with Paulo and seizes it – regardless of the consequences. She ends up spending the night with him in an ancestral home in some province. It is here where she gets disillusioned about her screen idol.
Fan mentality in Philippine pop culture must have started during the time of Carmen Rosales and Rogelio de la Rosa. Rivals Gloria Romero and Nida Blanca also had their share of fans.
But it must have been during the era of Susan Roces and Amalia Fuentes when fans resorted to violence in defense of their idols. The practice continued - worsened, actually – when Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos were pitted against each other.
Today, the fans of Kathryn Bernardo and Nadine Lustre no longer resort to physical violence. The internet world has become their battle ground.
Prior to the pandemic, the members of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino staged mostly sedate awards ceremonies – as compared to the flashy affairs of the Star Awards of the Philippine Movie Press Club.
But even in the most austere of Gawad Urian presentations, there was always pandemonium every time Nora and Vilma would be in the running for best actress. Security was usually called in to mediate between the warring parties.
The Manunuri members therefore are no strangers to fan mentality. The group members know how it is to get booed by fans of losing awards contenders.
The crazy fan girl behavior exhibited by Charlie Dizon in her launching film does not shock the members of the Manunuri. We understand the fan world. Some of us were witness to how the Noranians and Vilmanians punched each other from the ramp of the Cultural Center of the Philippines all the way to Harrison Plaza after one Gawad Urian program. The premise of Fan Girl therefore is clear to all of us.
And so why didn’t Fan Girl score big in the recent Gawad Urian?
Fan Girl won the following major awards in the last filmfest: Best picture, best director and screenplay (Antoinette Jadaone), best actor (Paulo Avelino) and best actress (Charlie Dizon). The film, sadly, wasn’t as well received by the members of the Manunuri.
I personally am a big fan of Fan Girl – from the storytelling all the way to the performances. Charlie Dizon is a great acting find. Her range is far and wide: from a giggly teenage girl swooning over her idol to a disillusioned fan out for revenge. She was a strong contender for best actress and was second in the competition – after Alessandra de Rossi who eventually brought home the trophy for Watch List.
I also like the way the film’s narrative unfolds. Some of the stunts pulled by Charlie’s character are truly absurd. But as the story gets deeper, the viewer understands why Charlie has to find even a temporary escape from her real world – in a home lacking in parental love and affection. I appreciate how Jadaone adds that extra layer in the film’s material.
But unlike a fan totally blinded by idolatry, I also see faults in the movie. For one, I cannot for the life of me understand why Paulo has to climb the steel gate of the ancestral home to gain access inside. Is that really his home or is he just trespassing? That isn’t explained clearly in the film.
Actually, that is one quarrel the rest of the Manunuri members have with Fan Girl. One member even pointed out that this aspect of the movie is quite similar to something he has seen in a Korean drama.
Some of them can’t understand either why Paulo Avelino has to play an altered version of himself. I have no issue with this, however. In fact, I had wanted Paulo to get into the circle of nominees, except that some members didn’t feel he should be in the running for best actor.
Paulo is already an Urian best actor winner (for Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa). But the Manunuri members aren’t exactly fans of his work in Fan Girl.
It is said that the male lead in Fan Girl was originally offered to John Lloyd Cruz. I can only imagine what John Lloyd could have done with the part. Maybe he could have looked more menacing, which is required of the role.
Some of the Manunuri members also take issue with the film’s half-baked feminism stance. The character of Charlie Dizon begins as a starstruck teeny-bopper. The feminist viewers, however, cheer her on as she learns to fight back against this oppressive and opportunistic man.
But in the end, she turns to a male figure (a cop, actually) to carry out her revenge. I honestly still have no issue with that and I find this situation acceptable. The feminists among the group have a problem with that, however.
If it’s any consolation, the efforts put in by the Fan Girl team was appreciated by the Manunuri members. It earned quite a few nominations, didn’t it?
I pushed for it because I find its approach quite refreshing. But I am just a single vote in the group.
Some Manunuri members may not have been thrilled by it, but I remain a fan. In my book, Fan Girl is still one of the best pictures of the year.
(Fan Girl is still available on Netflix.)
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