Features
‘John Denver Trending’ — A cautionary tale of the digital realm
‘John Denver Trending’ explores the horrors of ‘callout culture’ and how we evaluate the truth
The advent of social media to the lives of people is considered as a huge leap for humanity in a multitude of aspects. The power it holds to connect people from various parts of the world, as well as its ability to amplify our ideals and principles in a wider and grander scale is something that should not be treated lightly. But more often than not, social media can also be seen as a curse despite the benefits that it entails. When used in conjunction with cancel culture — or the online behavior that can ruthlessly decimate any person in 140 characters or less — and the existence of gullible people with no initiative to fact-check everything they see online, social media can be utilized to become a dangerous weapon that is able to instill grave ramifications that is not only confined to the digital lives of a certain user. This and many more is what Arden Rod Condez delves into his Palanca-award winning debut film entitled “John Denver Trending”.
Inspired by true events, “John Denver Trending” takes a look at the life of John Denver Cabungcal, a Grade 8 student who in some ways is similar to the rest of us. An ordinary farm boy who seeks to reach his dreams and to make his mother proud, John Denver’s life is upended when his classmate falsely accuses him of stealing the former’s iPad. Unable to keep his composure due to the accuser’s unceasing allegations, John Denver snaps and assaults the accuser. To make things worse, the altercation was filmed without his knowledge by a bystander and is then circulated online. What happens next is a harrowing series of events that would throw John Denver’s life into chaos.
Condez’ inspirations for the film were the troubling tales that utilized social media as its avenue and Generation Z as its victims. Although the accounts examined were different, they exhibited various similarities like how the events that have befallen to the victims damaged them to the core and led them to their demise or how their circumstances went viral in social media to an extent that it even affected their lives outside the screens.
Apart from its emphasis to its theme, the film also aimed to highlight the local color and culture of Condez’ hometown, Pandan, Antique and also its language, Kinaray-a. It must also be noted that most of the supporting casts were non-professional actors hailing from his hometown.
Spearheading the lead cast is seasoned and multi-awarded actress Meryll Soriano who has already made a name for herself in the indie film scene. She shall play the mother of the protagonist. Slated for the titular role of John Denver is Jansen Magpusao, a native of Pandan, Antique. A total rookie in the film industry, this film shall serve as his acting debut.
“In an age where fake news has turned into an inevitable phenomenon, John Denver Trending is more than just a film. It is an appalling reportage of what people have transformed into in the digital landscape. “
In an age where fake news has turned into an inevitable phenomenon, John Denver Trending is more than just a film. It is an appalling reportage of what people have transformed into in the digital landscape. The film makes us reassess our views on what we believe as the “truth” and how we haphazardly react to it, despite only seeing a part of it. But more importantly, it is a hard slap to our faces that our every action in social media holds great weight and may cause irreparable damage both within and outside our screens.
John Denver Trending is up for viewing in the Cultural Center of the Philippines from August 3–11, 2019 as one of the finalists for the highly anticipated film festival for locally-made independent films, Cinemalaya 2019. The film is also set to hit select Ayala and Vista Cinemas from August 7–13, 2019. In addition, viewers hailing from our beloved hometown can watch the film in the comforts of Ayala Malls Legazpi theaters on August 7, 2019 at 7 pm and August 11, 2019 at 2 pm. ■ by Ken Andrei Cuarto
For more of our stories and content, visit our official website at AquinianHerald.com or follow our social accounts.
bit.ly/aquinianherald
