Set in a Philippine coastal town of Pandan, Antique, the film centers on the character of a poor 14-year old Grade 8 high school student, John Denver Cabungcal of Sta. Ines Catholic High School, who is falsely accused of stealing his classmate’s iPad. He is caught on video brawling with this classmate, and because he’s not exactly a popular kid—and having committed some misdemeanors in the past—this video turns viciously viral in the worst ways.
The film has received critical acclaim in the Philippines. Based on the review of Fred Hawson published in ABS-CBN News, "This film was indeed a very powerful and timely statement against bullying -- physically and verbally in person, or virtually online. It talked about the dangerous power of social media in shaping public perception and opinion with biased news or worse, fake news, and its unrelenting negative consequences for the victim involved. New director Arden Rod Condez approached the topic with utmost severity of focus. Several prior scenes may have been foreshadowing the ending, but it will still knock your breath away. Oggs Cruz of Rappler writes, "Arden Rod Condez’s John Denver Trending will most likely be beloved not just for its currency but also for its unsubtle messaging. In a world that has been drastically made smaller by social media, a film that puts at the center of its concerns the glaring dangers of the conveniences of virtual connections is not just pertinent, but also important." While, Wanggo Gallage of ClickTheCity critics the film favorably citing that, "‘John Denver Trending’ captures a very real situation in today’s world of online witch hunts and slander. The film even manages to impress upon us the importance of its setting by including an actual witch hunt that serves to remind us that there is no difference between the dark age practice with what is happening in the very contemporary act of witch hunts online. ‘John Denver Trending’ is as painful as it is sobering and truly illuminates the horrors of mob mentality and blindly believing on hearsay. This is a powerful film that, through fine craftsmanship, manages to maximize the rawness of its players and filmmaking style to create a truly moving piece that is both relevant and resonant to these trying times." CNN Philippines via film reviewers Gil Perez and Don Jaucian writes, "what’s most harrowing about “John Denver Trending” is how it is not preachy at all. For a subject as rife as fake news, online toxicity, and cyberbullying, director Arden Rod Condez does not hit his audience over the head with heavy-handed commentary. Rather, the film’s sequence of events feels organic. It’s the natural cascade we are well-aware of in real life but do not often see up close. This nonchalant presentation makes the film all the more powerful, making audiences silently confront their own complicity and culpability." For Stephanie Mayo of Tribune she notes that, "John Denver Trending, this year’s Cinemalaya Best Feature Film, is mandatory viewing. It’s a provocative film, sharpened by Rommel Sales’ exquisite cinematography. It’s a powerful reminder to everyone and inspires a moral imperative to follow the Biblical teaching of watching your words. The film also inspires something else: an open communication between parent and child. A child should never hesitate to open up or approach a parent. A parent should never be too busy to ask a child how he is. And the life-saving importance of teaching our children hope and resilience in this cruel, cruel world." J. Neil Garcia of GMA News commends this movie writing in his review that, "A clear strength of the film is its rural and “regional” world, with its culturally simultaneous reality being succinctly captured in the depiction of communal faith healers paradoxically coexisting with smart phones, thereby suggesting not so much rupture as continuity between the regime of memory and the regime of data, especially where the residual but entirely determinative power of orality is concerned." Another review from Kean Planas of MyReelThoughts.com rated 10 out of 10 writing, "John Denver Trending is such a powerful film with an extremely important message to tell. Words cannot even explain how deeply affected I am by it. The ending gave me goosebumps like no other film in this year’s line-up has given me. Go see it, it will change your perspective on life and the world we currently live in after. It’s one of Cinemalaya’s best, one of this year’s best films, even." And, blogger Nazamel Tabares of PelikulaMania.com grades a 5 out 5 stars to this film citing that, "...it’s amazing how focused his storytelling is. How effective and how brilliant he delivers his messages through this film. And I applaud him for that."
