The team behind true crime film Jacqueline Comes Home are finally firing back after several days of sharp internet criticism of their take on tale.
The film is based on the 1997 Chiong rape-murder case, which led to the conviction of several men including Spanish-Filipino Francisco Juan “Paco” Larrañaga.
Many believe that Larrañaga is innocent, based on the information presented in the 2011 documentary Give Up Tomorrow, which is critical of the Philippines’ justice system, and have called for a boycott of Jacqueline Comes Home.
READ: Netizens call for ‘Jacqueline Comes Home’ boycott, say true crime film contains false info
In an interview via Facebook messenger with Coconuts Manila yesterday, the movie’s director Ysabelle Peach Caparas said she feels bad for the movie’s actors.
“My heart goes to them. Meg (Imperial) and Donna (Bartolome) are being extremely bullied. And personally!” she wrote in a mix of Filipino and English.
In a statement posted on her Instagram stories yesterday, lead actress Meg Imperial addressed critics and wrote in a mix of English and Filipino: “How many times do I have to say that we have done our research? And if we accepted [jobs on] this film, why are you criticizing us? Whether we accept those roles or not, other actors will play those roles. Why do you bash actors rather than the justice system that you guys are so into?”
Imperial went on to ask netizens if what they are doing will benefit Larrañaga in any way. She wrote: “Why not [criticize] the government if you want change? Why us? Do you think with what you are doing that you’re helping Paco? And you can free him? If you guys [think you] know everything then go to court and open the case.”
Perhaps in an effort to avoid critics, Imperial’s Instagram account no longer accepts comments.
Her co-star Donnalyn Bartolome also posted a statement on her Instagram account regarding the controversy. She wrote: “The movie is not biased. I may not say it for sure now cause there were things added to our script but honestly, the original script did not incriminate anyone. It was about The Chiongs and the theory of what happened.”
Meanwhile, the Facebook page of VIVA Films, the movie’s producer, continue to receive negative feedback from people.
Facebook user Ara Dominic’s post offers just a taste: “Delete this film. This is fake. There is no concrete evidence and yet you’ll make a movie about this. Aren’t you biased? Don’t you think you’re ruining people’s lives? If it has been proven that what’s in the movie is what really happened, then show it. But if not, don’t. Some producers make movies just for the heck of it. You never think about the lives you will ruin.”
Rommel Tautho called Jacqueline Comes Home as a movie for “twisted mind[s].”
Over at Bartolome’s Instagram page, a user by the name @ayebookfreak wrote: “This MOVIE deserves all the hate it could get. The actresses and actors may have done an outstanding job in this movie but [I]’m hoping that no one in their right minds would watch this. We’ve seen enough. We’ve heard enough. Now we want justice for Paco and the other six.”
Caparas, the film’s director, told Coconuts Manila that she has also been targeted on social media. “I was told they hope I would have a son who would die in prison. But I just laugh them off because they just have nothing better to do,” she wrote.
“Reading [negative comments] can’t kill … And they’re being funny,” she added.
Caparas told us that if there was one thing she would have done differently, it would be to prepare her cast and crew for the backlash. “I guess I thought everyone was tough and took everything like keyboard warriors as a joke,” she wrote.
However, it’s not just netizens who have spoken out about the film. The movie, which opened in theaters yesterday, was described by film critic Philbert Dy as “even more f*cked up” than people expected.
Jacqueline Comes Home (’18 Ysabelle Peach): Even more fucked up than you might be expecting.
— Phil Dy (@philbertdy) July 18, 2018
What are your thoughts on the issue? Share it by tweeting to @CoconutsManila.
