FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK (2021) Review
Directed by Bobbi Jo Hart
A heartwarming and heartbreaking journey of individuals who fought for their love of music in a time when women are thought to have better business outside the rock industry, Fanny: The Right to Rock is a bittersweet reality of the unfair world that we live in.
I have to be honest, I am not a fan of rock music. So, hearing about a band named Fanny makes me contemplate how I am not informed much about the industry. But what makes it even worse is knowing that Fanny is composed of Filipina musicians. So in a way, I am also learning about the history of Philippine music through this documentary.
Interest ticks as the film introduce us to the members of the band and how they were formed. It’s like an origin story of a superhero group, living different lives but having that one thing in common which is their love for music. And it isn’t just any other music women are interested in the 1960s, it’s rock music.
You get to be introduced or re-introduced with their music in a more personal way. The film presents how the group struggled to keep together because of other responsibilities. It’s a shame that nobody talks about them and their music these days because as David Bowie states, it is “one of the most important rock bands you’ve never heard of.” And watching the film made me feel that. They rocked the rock music industry. They are doing what, at that time, most men are doing.
But life gets in the way. Even in what could have been their comeback, their redemption, as they say, God has a different plan. It’s a sad, inspiring, and also informative documentary. It’s not something that may affect my life, but their story affected me emotionally.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘Fanny: The Right to Rock’ opens in select Philippine cinemas September 7, 2022, locally distributed by TBA Studios.