Thursday, August 22, 2019

John Denver Trending Movie Review

This movie bagged multiple awards during the 2019 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Awards given were Best Film, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Musical Score, and Best Actor (Jansen Magpusao).

Set in the Visayan province of Antique, the dialect used was Karay-a that many Filipinos do not speak. Thus, subtitles were a big help.

The story revolves around a boy who was accused of stealing an iPad from a classmate. Someone uploaded an incident on Facebook and it went viral. It portrays the power of social media in modern times.  

The movie highlights the provincial life in Antique. The pacing is a bit slow that seemingly mimics the rural lifestyle. When the movie won awards, the province celebrated the win. 

Jansen Magpusao who won Best Actor was also a new actor chosen from the same town. Even without saying too much, he naturally portrayed his innocence. It was like watching a documentary.

The film was well crafted with the right cinematic tones and interesting cinematography. It was rated PG.

Nevertheless, the movie may need a stronger warning because its theme revolves around minors and suicide. The movie's ending was depressing, not redemptive.

While adults may understand the story's whole context, stressed children or teenagers may get a different signal, through the power of suggestion.

There are news reports where a rise in negative consequences were attributed to watching a TV show. It is important for parents to get into dialogue with their children who are minors.

Thus, stronger caution when presenting these ideas to minors is recommended. The mental health warning at the end of the movie may not be sufficient.