Movie No. 26 (2019): JOHN DENVER TRENDING

John Denver Trending (2019)
Director: Arden Rod Condez
Cast: Meryl Soriano, Jansen Magpusa
In Kinaray-a, Hiligaynon, and Tagalog, with English subtitles

A high school teenage boy (John Denver) is accused of stealing his classmate's iPad. We know he's innocent. He loses his temper when his accusers, his classmates, forced to open his backpack. No iPad is found. The ruckus that ensues gets captured on video. One of his accusers uploaded the video online with twisted caption. It goes viral. 

The movie is mainly about how the viral post affects John Denver, his family, the school, and the town. The script, being well researched, effectively captures the witch-hunt themed narrative. 

I was very much affected by the movie. At some point I was holding tears because of anger. I was angry because some of the characters actually exist in our society. These are people who throw more fuel in a burning house, then walk away as if they don't care. This is exactly what happens to John Denver.

Jansen Magpusao is a first time actor. But, the way we see confusion and vulnerability in his portrayal as the bullied will make us even more sympathetic to the character and upset about how people who don't even know what really happened judge him. Meryl Soriano gives an outstanding support performance.

Jansen Magpusao took home the Best Actor Award in 2019 Cinemalaya Independent Festival. That was much deserved. The movie won Best Film. I agree, definitely.

Rating: 4.0/4.0

Date seen: Ausgust 6, 2019