'Airplane Mode' Movie Review

Introduction

Ana, a fashion-forward teen, is enjoying her life of fame on social media. She's so obsessed with her virtual life that she rarely focuses on reality or the road. After crashing her car too many times, Ana's parents decide it's time for a change. Can Ana survive without her phone in the rural village?

Key themes

Ana has an amazing life, she receives lots of love from her online fans, with which she is obsessed

Working with Just Fashion, the boss decides to stir up the heat in Ana's life in time for the launch of the winter collection (to gain popularity)

Ana, in shock from the news crashes her car fatally, because she was too focused on her phone.

Ana's parents tired of her crashing her car, decide to send Ana to her grandfather's house in the village, where there is no cell coverage. They tricked Ana to believe that this was the court's orders

Ana reaches her grandfather's town and gets help to his house from the handsome John

On arrival, Ana and her grandfather. Germano, clash heads as Ana wants to do things her way

Overtime, Ana realises that life is different in the village and begins to adapt.

As Ana starts to get along with Germano, he reveals to her the secret room he had hidden from her. The room contained things from her grandmother.

Ana discovers her grandmother's love for dress-making and starts a fashion line of her own inspired by her grandmother's work

Ana settles into the village life, with help from her love interest John

After sometime, Ana's parents visit, upon Germano's request, and return her car and phone to her

Whilst her parents arrive, so does the boss of Just Fashion who has been looking for Ana.

Ana talks to her boss about her new fashion ideas, and without her knowledge, the boss steals her designs

Ana finds out that her parents lied to her about the 'court's orders' and drives away

Ana starts a new life, until John messages her telling her how the Just Fashion boss has stolen her designs

Anna, Germano, John and Ana's parents set up a plan to disrupt the fashion show

The truth is revealed and the boss is jailed. Ana forgives everyone and they all live a happy life together

Key observations/thoughts

• Why does Germano approve of Ana and John's relationship? Shouldn't he be overprotective of his young granddaughter, especially as he doesn't know her very well?
• Why did Julia pretend to not be a fan of Ana?
• Why does Julia have a smartphone whilst her siblings don't?
• Just Fashion is a trendy fashion brand - why are they focusing on Ana and Gil's relationship? How does this market their clothing?
• how does John know what a selfie is if he has 'never had a phone'?
• Ana threw her phone out of the window whilst driving. She bought a new phone. There was a notification requesting whether Ana wanted to 'import old contacts'. This is impossible unless Ana was able to retrieve her old sim, which surely should have been destroyed
• How did John and Ana's parents get her new contact number?
• Why would True Fashion use Ana's summery clothing for their winter collection? Surely they already had a collection for the winter season, why did they decide to replace it with Ana's designs, especially as they do not fit the season?
• Why did the technicians at the winter collection exhibition play the video recording that exposed True Fashion's boss? Aren't they being paid to do their only job? Why would they accept to play the video that was not included in the original plan for the show? Where was the security?
• How did John apply for culinary school without a phone? How did they contact him? Even if it was via email, that must mean he has a laptop or access to a computer. How can he have these accessibility but not a phone?

Conclusion

Airplane Mode sticks to a classic story line and fails to divert from it nonetheless. However, it teaches valuable lessons of taking a break from virtual reality and engaging in the present. It also informs us that there is room for development and change in anyone. Ana never thought she could survive in the village but happily adapted. Yes, it was dramatic and fanatical but it speaks truth. We all have capabilities beyond our comprehension, we just have to be willing to break out of our naivety that bubbles us in an antisocial corner. We must embrace the world and put our innovative and life-changing, yet destructive phones on airplane mode.

Cast

Larissa Manoela - Ana

Erasmo Carlos - Germano

André Frambach - John