TV & Film

Shedding light: A review of Star na si Van Damme Stallone

Contrary to its title, Star na si Van Damme Stallone (2016) has more than one star. Think Boyhood (2014) meets I Am Sam (2001)—except this time, we watch Van Damme Stallone (“Vanvan”) grow up through the eyes of those who love the boy.

The plot itself connects the reel to real life. Vanvan wants to be an action star. He also has Down Syndrome, and so do the actors portraying him. Stars in their own right, Jadford Dilanco and Paolo Pingol breathe soul into the younger and older Vanvan, respectively. The film does not just preach representation, but draws on the actors’ personal experiences to tell the story.

The story is told through vignettes of Vanvan’s life. He faces school bullies with Tano, his older brother. An adult Vanvan goes to auditions with his dad’s support. The constant is Nadia (Candy Pangilinan), Vanvan’s “ermat,” as he calls her. As mother to a special needs child off-screen, Pangilinan knows her role by heart. It shows when Nadia stares blankly after hearing Vanvan’s diagnosis; when she fusses over him; when she guides him through buttoning a shirt for the first time; and even when she weeps over the infant Vanvan, apologizing for resenting his existence.

Towards the end, however, the vignettes lose clarity, and there is not much of a conclusion for Vanvan’s celebrity aspirations. Throw in some fantasy sequencesjarring at best, tacky at worstand Van Damme Stallone is far from perfect. But the fact that it ends with a huge “what’s next?” means a lot.

With that, Nadia opens and closes the film by musing about the future. “Sa ating pagitan,” she says, “may isang libong puwede.” (Between us, there are a thousand possibilities.) Perhaps it’s for the best that things are left open-ended, yet on a hopeful note—for Vanvan, his loved ones, and those in similar circumstances.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Photo retrieved from Pinoy Movie Blogger.

You might like these!
TV & Film

Vantage Magazine’s 2024 Oscars Picks and Predictions

Best Animated Feature Nominees:  The Boy and the Heron Elemental Nimona Robot Dreams Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Vant Fave: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse The second installment in the Spider-Verse franchise definitely lived up to our expectations. It highlighted a more expansive world of spider-people and their spider-ventures, along with a captivating array of animation styles […]

By Alyssa Adul, Chanel Ang, Rozz Lapitan and Tan Dela Cruz

March 10, 2024

By Alyssa Adul, Chanel Ang, Rozz Lapitan and Tan Dela Cruz • March 10, 2024

TV & Film

Body horror: Redefining girlhood and growing pains

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment, rape, and violence. GORY AND grotesque in nature, the horror genre could easily be perceived as an unwelcoming territory for women-centric stories. Slasher films in particular have a historically problematic relationship with sex and violence. “Final girls” in horror films are often women who tend to […]

By Mika Layda and Bella Yara

December 2, 2023

By Mika Layda and Bella Yara • December 2, 2023

TV & Film

Modern macabre for a modern audience: The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

BEING AN avid fan of the horror genre, I was no stranger to Mike Flanagan’s reputation, considering his highly acclaimed work with Netflix that cemented him as one of the go-to guys for modern horror. However, the reason why I enjoy his work lies in his ability to depict humans that feel as real as […]

By Tan Dela Cruz

November 15, 2023

By Tan Dela Cruz • November 15, 2023

Exposé

Queering the horror scene: How the community transformed its shadowy spaces

HORROR HAS always been queer. Since the genre’s conception, horror characters have long hidden their repressed selves behind the campy make-up of the supernatural. If the idea behind horror is about wanting to look at what you should not see, no one can relate more to the suppression of natural desires than the LGBTQIA+ community. […]

By Alyssa Adul and Rozz Lapitan

December 4, 2023

By Alyssa Adul and Rozz Lapitan • December 4, 2023