Katrina May T. Blanco IDS 162.

13i - B

Hero in Disguise

A person's hero might be another individual's villain; sometimes, they are worse than
the monsters in our narratives. As humans, it is inevitable that we develop an immense level
of admiration for someone. It is easy to exalt them above the rest of us and assume they are
infallible or incapable of causing people any harm, as they often possess a quality that we do
not have. People frequently forget that even the most well-known personalities within our
society are still members of the human race and are capable of committing misconduct. As
such, excessive devotion to public figures has become a prevalent aspect of our modern
civilization, especially with the wide accessibility to technology. With this, we are
conditioned to accept media depictions of people and events as a representative of actual life.

This idea can be seen in Antoinette Jadaone's Fan Girl (2020), which depicts a young,
devoted fan who finally has the chance to meet her idol and learns the truth about him, away
from the spotlight and her idealized version of his life. Jane's identity is revealed at the outset
of the film; the posters, photographs, and her presence at the mall show all attest to her
unwavering adoration for the Filipino actor Paulo Avelino. She jumped at the chance to ride
in the back of his vehicle, uncomfortable but cheerful regardless of the circumstance. Despite
her youth, she could have understood her actions' repercussions. However, as an avid fan of
the actor, she wanted to meet him and hoped to live out her wildest dreams. For that reason,
she dared to hide in the same space as her idol without regard for her safety.

In the following scenes, Jane slowly begins to discover all of Paulo Avelino's worst,
most terrible dirty dealings. However, despite witnessing the horrible episodes of his
drunkenness, foul language, and drug usage, she still managed to take a selfie with the
inebriated actor. Instead of escaping, Jane chose to ignore his aggravating antics and instead
created romantic scenarios in her head. It was as though she had found bliss in the company
of her favorite celebrity. At sixteen, her mind might be too young to comprehend the gravity
of the situation, and all that mattered was she was with her celebrity crush. Hence, even if
Paulo Avelino's character wasn't based on Avelino himself, Jane may still be romanticizing
situations involving the actor to rationalize such aggression caused by the other people.
Perhaps Jane was conditioned to visualize love through rose-colored glasses, much like the
subjects in Paulo Avelino's films. To some extent, this alludes to the futility of trying to run
away from the actual world by immersing oneself in a realm of make-believe. It also
demonstrates the pernicious effects of naive devotion to a figure and how a fan's fantasy can
blur the line between fiction and reality in a derogatory light.

The film's development of Paulo Avelino's character stresses the nature of the
entertainment business when the film progressively exposes his true identity. He was not as
charming, reserved, and gentlemanly as he appears on television. In reality, he was arrogant
and deranged. This distinction can be seen not only in his behavior but in his physical
appearance as well. He went from being a well-groomed celebrity to someone whose body
was imperfect and whose hair was long and unkempt.

This disturbing film bears out what Richard Bolisay says about Filipino love teams. It
was highlighted how Paulo Avelino did not genuinely care for his on-screen partner, Bea
Alonzo when someone called him for a movie promotion. In a tone that suggested
annoyance, he responded with "kaya na ni Bea yan." With how he handled the situation, it
appeared that their tandem was purely an act of business and public engagement. His
television persona was a performance designed to elicit feelings of kilig from spectators. In
addition, Bolisay asserts that the success and longevity of love teams in the Philippine
entertainment industry can be attributed to this strategy. Love teams need widespread
exposure to be effective and stay relevant in the eyes of the audience. This formula is a
mainstay in the film industry that relies significantly on consumer responses and the power
of fans to combine their forces to ensure the maximum profit of a project. As such, the early
scenes between Paulo Avelino and Bea Alonzo might be used as an indication of a marketing
strategy. They have successfully given their love team's fans, such as Jane, a rush of
enthusiasm or anticipation.
 Furthermore, the film also implicitly deals with fanaticism in politics. We can also
interpret the subtle scenes with Duterte's posters that people who obsessively admire
celebrities like Avelino are the same as those who supported Duterte without question.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Duterte pledged to wipe out drug users and pushers
within months. His hometown of Davao, which he transformed into a city with low crime
rates, was meant to serve as an example for the rest of the Philippines. However, after his
victory, Duterte's War on Drugs adversely targeted the impoverished and began a new era of
injustice in the country. However, the film establishes that the issue persisted during his
presidency and that Paulo Avelino himself engaged in substance abuse. The Filipino people
who voted for him were blinded by his promises and the reality that poverty-stricken citizens
were targeted and harmed under his governance. Instead of being the hero they had hoped
for, he was the villain in their story. Similarly to Jane, she thought Paulo Avelino was entirely
different and had no idea he was the same man as her mother's vicious boyfriend. She
idolized a kind of person who had a negative impact on her life.

Given these points, it is apparent that our civilization has an excessive obsession with
famous personalities, whether they may be actors, athletes, or even politicians. Due to the
romanticized versions of reality, we have conditioned ourselves to believe them and become
blind to the truth. Therefore, our ability to critically evaluate the material we consume offline
and online is a skill we should cultivate and share with those who lack it. We must
acknowledge that what we see in the media does not always reflect the real world. As such,
we should be careful with whom we become supporters of and never compromise our
principles to indulge our desires.