In the years since Fan Girl's original release in the Philippines, its ultimate message and execution has become polarizing: is it enough that the film shows the corruption of a parasocial relationship into an abusive one, without offering much hope? Is its vision of justice actually constructive or disappointingly limited? No matter where you fall, it's exciting that a movie can stir up these kinds of questions through a bizarre dynamic between characters, in a place that's clearly set somewhere between reality and delusion. The narrative is circular and frustrating for a reason—a constant push and pull as the titular fan girl keeps getting drawn back into the celebrity's orbit—and the film only grows more disturbing with each repetition.

The Philippines has no shortage of talented actors under 30, but Charlie Dizon stands tall as arguably the best of her generation. Every acting choice she makes feels effortless, and she displays none of the vanity or artificially inflated or over-articulated emotion that other performers might embrace to get a more immediate reaction. It truly never feels like she's acting, and in Fan Girl—her breakout performance—her journey from wide-eyed schoolgirl to bitter soul who can stare daggers through anybody feels entirely earned. With films like this and the more recently released Third World Romance under her belt, Dizon seems to be paving the way for an entirely new calibre of acting in mainstream Filipino films.