Review: John Denver Trending (2019)

 

100/100

When I finished watching John Denver Trending, I jolted and screamed. For one second, maybe two. And then I retreated back to watching the credits, a tradition of mine. I have never done such a thing. I have never seen a film that made me angry that way. But a film, independently made, starring unprofessional actors, made me do all that. This film tells us to think differently, in many different ways.

I can't help but see the past me in the protagonist, John Denver Cabungcal, played with profound resonance by Jansen Mangpusao, whose empathetic and carefree expression reminds me of my worst times as a teenager. The times when false accusations and disintegration of one's wellness are somehow a guilty pleasure. Not guilty actually... it was a trending pleasure. Nearly the same age as me, I just feel like hugging him to death.

To contextualize things: the film tells the story of John Denver, who was supposed to take part in a school dance when it was scandalized that he had stolen a rich boy's Saudi iPad worth a fortune in Filipino pesos. He did not. We all know he didn't. "I didn't, sir," he said for the 1,000,000,000th time. Yet... well, you know. But here's the thing: you can't guess the whole plot. But another thing: that's not what writer-director Arden Condez intends to prioritize. In John Denver Trending, shocking scenes are interwoven by local existentialism and provocative directness, making the film an immensely effective and unfiltered docudrama against the sick culture of cancelling people.

The film got a massive critical rave, and this is great. It is good that people are acknowledging how low-budget pictures can be better than the Hollywood pieces that are sure to hit cinemas no matter what. But you won't understand it entirely unless you are, or were, John Denver. I wasn't cyberbullied, but I was a victim of bullying and mistrust. When the cast on my broken right arm was removed, there was plenty of hair grown. Nobody really picked up on it, however one did, and recovery became torture. A never-ending life cycle. In a culmination of my anger, I took a pen and wrote "FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK". All it took was just that so that the principal would drag me on the floor and yell at me, seizing my then-unknown autism.

He never got dragged.

For a long time, I wasn't able to process my anger. I knew I had it, but I didn't know what it definitively is. Using the static, ever-following camera, with the angles juxtaposing him and the surrounding, intolerant nature, John Denver Trending allowed me to spiritually understand my past. I think we have seen a dozen films that seem like a mirror of ourselves, but this film does so in a very brutal, in-your-face manner that I was tempted to smash my laptop. Thankfully I didn't, but the air of this film is profound. It's one-of-a-kind. Even if it doesn't trigger the conversation intended to, it has left an impact on me and many.

The film also speaks in a cinematic manner.  Again, this is a low-budget indie. The picture quality (the one in my player has a maximum of 720p, not even 1080) is arguably poor. However, it still delivers the message as strongly as the bigger productions. Perhaps this may be a message to the big production houses to stop sticking with their ARRI Alexa or RED Komodo. In a way, poor quality contributes to the elegance of John Denver Trending. Life, in itself, is poor. Is dirty. Is blurry. Is cruel. The film doesn't seek to please its audience, it tortures them. Thus, you have to hate it to love it. Its premise is cliche, but relevance aside, I have never seen a cyberbullying plot delivered in such a fashion.

Yet within the limitations, also lie sophistication. The idea for John Denver to be poor-clothed against all the stylish students and teachers is something only a legend can take into account. I've read other reviews stating that it is a symbol of permanence: John Denver was said to be a troubled boy in the past, and so with all the "stains" he can never return. I agree with this analysis, but I also want to think differently. John Denver is not just defined by his past, but also by who he is. He is a poor boy in a village. The cases he's been on, and this one, are merely amplifiers of the innate hate around him.

John Denver Trending is a film whose life goes beyond its poor title. It is a film about the past, the Internet, social class, and how it influences the human condition. It's pathetic that we are living in a cancel culture society, when we can just get away with ruining people's lives in front of our eyes. The film is a slap to humans, a call for authorities to take this matter seriously. Wait, what am I saying? They don't care. And shall this film still be relevant in foreseeable future, we may be witnessing the end days of humanity.