We were at the red carpet premiere of VIVA Films’ controversial drama movie Jacqueline Comes Home. And though it did say on its title “The Chiong Story,” it also puts a disclaimer before the film starts that Jacqueline Comes Home is in fact, loosely based on its source material.
Now that clears things a bit. But still, how the film presented its “story” takes us back to the controversy of the individuals who were convicted for the “death” of Marijoy Chiong and the missing of Jacqueline Chiong.
The story is one thing, but the storytelling and the acting? Those are other factors that the audience would look into while watching a movie.
It’s understandable to put fiction on a film that is “based on facts,” but having a convoluted story, a mediocre direction and almost awful acting, Jacqueline Comes Home only has Meg Imperial as its redeeming value.
We get that the film wants to show the other side of the story but with already acknowledging that the film is loosely based on its source material that we can might as well call a fiction, at least tell a good story. Because even if we watch because of its controversies, we entered the cinema to watch a story, hopefully a good one. But we didn’t.
“Jacqueline Comes Home” is now showing in cinemas nationwide from VIVA Films. Rated R-13 by the MTRCB.