★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Warning: This review might contain spoilers.
ROOKIE, directed by Samantha Lee, is one of the highly anticipated entries of this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
Written by Lee and Natts Jadaone, this queer romance about volleyball stars Aya Fernandez as Janna and newcomer Pat Tingjuy as Ace, along with veteran actress Agot Isidro.
First screened on Friday, audiences can watch Rookie until August 13 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) and selected Ayala Malls branches.
Rookie at a glance
Lee’s third film centers on a tall, awkward high schooler named Ace, who just transferred to an all-girl Catholic school.
Because the institution does not have a basketball team, a sport Ace is passionate about, she is forced to join the volleyball team and learn the sport halfheartedly.
However, her life changes unexpectedly as she irresistibly falls in love with the team captain, Janna.
Courtesy: ANIMA Studios, Project 8 Projects
Queer joy out in broad daylight
Upon watching Rookie, the first thing that might probably hit viewers’ consciousness is that finally, a normal queer romance is available for media consumption.
Although it centers on girl love, the film does not revolve around homophobia as its main conflict, unlike many other lesbian motion pictures on the market.
The acceptance from Ace and Janna’s friends and family is a significant factor that helped the film represent a healthy queer relationship.
The protagonists didn’t have to grapple with the dilemma of how to gain recognition and approval from the people around them because it was innate — something that the LGBTQIA+ community desires to obtain.
Courtesy: ANIMA Studios, Project 8 Projects
Moreover, the normalcy of this women loving women (WLW) film provides a sense of relatability.
Ace’s awkwardness around Janna and the tension between the two characters when they lock eyes make the film the closest to reality.
Courtesy: ANIMA Studios, Project 8 Projects
Rookie also provides viewers, especially those who have spent a long time hiding in the closet, with an opportunity to relive high school through Ace and Janna. It was as if the film transported people to a different realm where they could be whoever they wanted and love whoever they wanted without rejection, prejudice, or discrimination from general society.
Further, it delivered hope to its audience that there is an assurance that someday they will no longer have to worry about what the world thinks when they hold another girl’s hand or kiss them in a room full of people.
Rookie in Ace’s lingo is “fun-fun.” The film is synonymous with opening a gift on your birthday and finding the book you have always wanted to read. Rookie is happiness in a box by queer people for the queer community.
Other themes
Since it is a film by Lee, it is not a surprise that the film also tackled other themes aside from diving into Ace and Janna’s adorable love story.
Rookie also showed how lenient society can be toward sexual offenders when they should have been punished for the crimes they commit.
The film also gave the audience a little taste of the rejection coming from religious organizations, specifically the Catholic Church, of romantic relationships between two women.
