Pagtatag Documentary: A Review

 

SB19 continues to live by its given title, the Kings of Firsts. From Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, people from different parts of the country swarmed cinemas to watch the very first documentary film about a PPOP group. There were certain doubts about how the film would fare, but from its premiere to the last screening day, Pagtatag Documentary was reported to take the number 1 spot among the top 5 movies in the Philippines. People have mixed opinions about the film, which they are definitely entitled to. Now, we have to keep in mind that there will always be critics, and it is essential if one wants to improve.

Cinematography: For a documentary, the shots taken by Jed Regala and his team were considerably clean. There were no awkward angles even though, as Pablo and his brothers said, the documentary team had to somehow hide themselves so as not to make the boys feel conscious about their actions. All the essential moments to showcase the message they wanted to convey were taken and utilized well. Yes, the film could have been better, but what documentary film is perfect?

Emotion: Most documentary films feel bland because it's obvious that the people being filmed knew there were cameras around them, but in the Pagtatag Documentary, if the people being recorded wouldn't look at the camera intentionally or if they were not being interviewed, everything feels natural as if they didn't know they were being recorded. This is important because it keeps the authenticity of the film and it makes the viewers feel the emotions they were supposed to feel.

Message: This is subjective and will always be based on the viewers' perspective, but for me and many who watched the film, Pagtatag Documentary's message is all about resiliency and perseverance. It doesn't matter if you're the most talented person in the world. If you are not resilient enough to overcome the struggles life will throw at you, there's no hope and you will fail. The film taught us that no matter what happens, no matter how rough things get, we will survive because we can.

All in all, the film was worth the wait and definitely worth the time and money. As someone who only discovered SB19 last January, I have many questions, but I didn't expect my questions to be answered by watching the film. It was titled Pagtatag Documentary in the first place. An era from SB19's journey as artists. The film showed their struggles as artists who own a company managing them, and the sacrifices they had to make to manage their financials and keep everything afloat.

In my mind, celebrities, especially famous ones always have people doing everything for them, but not SB19. They pack, carry, and arrange their own things, they even fix themselves during concerts when they have to, especially on international tours. It showed that when they did their Pagtatag international tours, they didn't have the means to take everyone with them so they had to work with what they had, yet it didn't show. Without the documentary, we would never have imagined how hard it must have been for them because as fans, all we can see is their amazing performances.

This film showed us that they are humans, too. They are people with emotions and fears, and sometimes they get overwhelmed just like any of us. The film helped us realize that we should not put them on a pedestal and think of them as saints and perfect beings because they are not. Yes, they are incredibly talented people, but people nonetheless. We must manage our expectations and learn to stay in our lane. There are boundaries we must never cross and most importantly, we must learn to respect them and their privacy.