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REVIEW: ‘Fan Girl’ takes a deep dive into the dark side of celebrity

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Rhea Manila Santos

In what starts off in what looks like a lighthearted story about a regular high school student named Jane (played by Charlie Dizon) who is so obsessed with celebrities that she is willing to skip exams just for a chance to see them in person, turns out to be a rollercoaster ride of a film which shows the dark side of being both a celebrity and fan.<div><a href="https://push.abs-cbn.com/2020/10/24/fresh-scoops/watch-paulo-avelino-and-charlie-dizon-in-first-f-189212" target="_blank">WATCH: Paulo Avelino and Charlie Dizon in first ‘Fan Girl’ trailer </a></div>In the opening scene, audiences see how much of Jane’s life is consumed by celebrity culture, from watching movie clips on her mobile phone while riding the jeep to memorizing ever single available detail of her idol’s personal life online, she consumes everything she can about the stars. One day after her class, Jane rushes to the mall to catch a mall show starring her idols Paulo Avelino and Bea Alonzo (who play co-stars in a fictional romantic film). Jane’s excitement over seeing Paulo in person leads her to sneak into the back of his pickup truck just to be near him. This is where Jane’s troubles start as she starts to discover that celebrities can be far from perfect when it comes to real life.Charlie Dizon is a revelation in her biggest role to date. Having been launched as part of Star Magic in 2018, the 24-year-old actress was last seen in the prequel Four Sisters Before the Wedding earlier this year. In Fan Girl, Charlie fully embraces her role as the both fanatical and submissive fan Jane, a role which allows her to showcase a rollercoaster of emotions from overwhelming joy to terrifying fear as she starts to spend more and more time with her favorite leading man. <a href="https://push.abs-cbn.com/2020/12/29/fresh-scoops/charlie-dizon-reveals-why-thankful-iza-calzado-190686" target="_blank">READ: Charlie Dizon reveals why she&#x27;s thankful to Iza Calzado: ‘Siya yung nag-open din ng door sa akin’</a><div><a href="https://push.abs-cbn.com/2020/12/29/fresh-scoops/paulo-avelino-dedicates-best-actor-win-to-son-aki-190694" target="_blank">READ: Paulo Avelino dedicates best actor win to son Aki</a></div>Proving that he is always willing to push the envelope when it comes to acting, Paulo Avelino takes on a role that has him playing a fictional and controversial version of himself envisioned by Fan Girl director Antonette Jadaone which is not totally detached from reality. Shedding his previous heartthrob roles, Paulo makes the gutsy move of lending his real name to a character that may or may not sit well with his fans after watching the film. Jadaone’s recent statement that she knew he was a shoo-in for the Best Actor award at the Metro Manila Film Festival will be totally justified after watching Fan Girl.In its entirety, Antonette Jadaone’s Fan Girl is an exciting visual and mental journey which takes a lot of twisted turns for audiences who enjoy an unpredictable and thought provoking ending. It doesn’t hurt that lead stars Paulo and Charlie’s acting make their dark and disturbing storyline a truly entertaining watch. Watch Fan Girl and other 2020 MMFF films online via <a href="https://upstream.ph/movies/fan-girl/" target="_blank">Upstream.ph</a>

Paulo Avelino and Charlie Dizon play career defining roles in their 2020 MMFF Best Picture entry. 