How can one further define Fyang Smith's character in Almost Us without directly telling the audience? Through production design. Let's take a glimpse inside Janine's room, as shared with CBO by the film's production designer, Eero Yves Francisco.
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| Janine's room in Almost Us. (C) Eero Yves Francisco |
Francisco is also known for his production design works in films such as Third World Romance, Kono Basho, and Sunshine.
"In Almost Us, the film uses fan fiction to ground Janine and make her aware of her 'reality.' In short, fan fiction is equivalent to fantasy. And where is the fan fiction born? Inside Janine's condo, inside her laptop," he shares with CBO.
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| Fyang Smith in Almost Us (C) Eero Yves Francisco |
In the film, RR (JM Ibarra) has always been in love with his best friend, Janine (Fyang Smith). But she’s infatuated with Kenzo (Dustin Yu), the star of her own fan fiction. When he finds a way for Janine to meet Kenzo, will he risk his own happiness just for her to have her own happiness?
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| (C) Eero Yves Francisco |
"Janine's fantasy of Kenzo extends into her condo space. With purple being the rarest natural pigment, it became the color of fantasy over the years," he adds. It's true — Tyrian purple was once more valuable than gold. "And pink adds a soft, sensitive touch of love to purple in this idea. That's why Janine's condo is generally peppered with pinks and purples."
Meanwhile, Kenzo, played by Dustin Yu, is seen in teals, a color combination born from blue and green. According to Eero, the color emanates friendliness. "And Kenzo in Janine's fantasy is all positive and friendly."
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| (C) Eero Yves Francisco |
"Janine's condo is a pop-up fantasy storybook, in contrast to RR's dormitory, which is grounded in reality," he contextualizes.
Here are some more behind-the-scenes images:
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| (C) Eero Yves Francisco |
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| (C) Eero Yves Francisco |
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| (C) Eero Yves Francisco |
From Regal Films and Project 8, Almost Us is now playing in cinemas.
