What netizens think of 'Fan Girl', Paulo Avelino and Charlie Dizon's performance

MANILA, Philippines — There's a clear fan favorite on the first day of the virtual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

On opening day, Christmas Day, Twitter netizens were busy tweeting about Antonette Jadaone's latest flick, "Fan Girl."

The director of the cult favorite "That Thing Called Tadhana" is fielding an entry that looks into the dark side of fandom. "Fan Girl" stars a fictional version of Paulo Avelino and how a certain "fan girl" played by Charlie Dizon unmasks the real person behind the actor beyond the dazzling lights and camera. 

The hashtags #FanGirlMMFF, #CharlieDizon and #PauloAvelino trended on Twitter on opening day. Most where positive reviews of the film, citing the performances of its leads, Paulo and Charlie.

Some even predicted that Charlie is the one to watch next year. This is the second hit of Charlie after another well-received performance in "Four Sisters Before The Wedding,"  released digitally by Star Cinema earlier this month. 

Even known film critic, Philbert Dy, praised Paulo and the film. 

Fan Girl ('20 Antoinette Jadaone): So, I'm done processing. I can confirm that this is, in fact, my favorite film of this year.

— Phil Dy (@philbertdy) December 25, 2020

"Fan Girl ('20 Antoinette Jadaone): So, I'm done processing. I can confirm that this is, in fact, my favorite film of this year," Philbert tweeted. 

Antoinette also shared her worries about her latest flick.  

Been reading your tweets and reviews abt #FanGirlMMFF MARAMING SALAMAT ???? Word of mouth works. Thank you— you are our influencers. Brings me back to my Six Degrees and Tadhana days of promoting a film. It’s a new way to watch movies and we’re overwhelmed by the support. ??

— Tonette, Tonette (@tonetjadaone) December 25, 2020

"Been reading your tweets and reviews abt #FanGirlMMFF MARAMING SALAMAT ???? Word of mouth works. Thank you— you are our influencers. Brings me back to my 'Six Degrees' and 'Tadhana' days of promoting a film. It’s a new way to watch movies and we’re overwhelmed by the support," Antoinette tweeted on December 25. 

The director refers to "Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay," a mockumentary starring the popular character actress in the titular role, and the romantic-comedy "That Thing Called Tadhana," starring JM de Guzman and Angelica Panganiban. These came out in 2012 and 2014, respectively. 

The following day, she tweeted a good news. "Saw #FanGirlMMFF ticket sales for Dec25. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Been really wary for days of the shift to digital premiere, but bec of your reviews, tweets and word of mouth, ticket sales today is WAAAAAAAY beyond the projection. We have you to thank!!! Merry Christmas!" she wrote. 

Saw #FanGirlMMFF ticket sales for Dec25. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Been really wary for days of the shift to digital premiere, but bec of your reviews, tweets and word of mouth, ticket sales today is WAAAAAAAY beyond the projection. We have you to thank!!! Merry Christmas!????

— Tonette, Tonette (@tonetjadaone) December 25, 2020

MMFF has yet to release the sales from Upstream.PH, the streaming site available for both local and global viewers, where all 10 competing films are sold for P250 each. 

Aside from the good news, Paulo also trended because viewers were wondering about his supposed "exposure". Tongues were wagging and asking if what they saw as his "package" as the "real deal". 

One netizen wrote, "Me after seeing the trend about paulo avelino hqwhwhwhshshsu."

Similar posts flooded Twitter with a meme of a character putting on eyedrops on his eye.

Streaming of all MMFF entries is until January 7. The awards night or "Gabi ng Parangal" will be held virtually tomorrow, December 27.