“The journey to great things is a tough one.” – Pablo
Note: This review contains some spoilers.
1Z Entertainment’s PAGTATAG! The Documentary (2024) is a 73-minute film that recounts the highs and lows of P-pop kings, SB19, during the era of Pagtatag! (2023), their second extended play as a group recording artist.
The documentary film had a jam-packed premiere night on August 25th and was theatrically released nationwide on August 28th in the Philippines with some international fans flying to Metro Manila in order to watch the most anticipated documentary of the well-loved group. Notably, it became the number one movie in Philippine cinemas on its opening day and last day on September 1st. It also made history as the highest-grossing documentary film of all time in the Philippines. Awesome!
Having seen the movie thrice on different days, here are some key points and insights based on theme, narrative, characters, and direction:
THEME
Before diving into the film, it is necessary that one understands the whole picture of Pagtatag! (2023) extended play in order to fully grasp its core elements and have a meaningful theatrical experience.
PAGTATAG! The Documentary (2024) is directed by Jed Regala that highlights SB19’s journey during Pagtatag! (2023), the second installment of the group’s trilogy, with Pagsibol (2021) as the first extended play and Simula At Wakas as the final piece, which is in the works and yet to be released.
SB19’s Pagtatag! (2023) extended play explores the idea of empowerment and strengthening their identity as a group based on life experiences. This era was also the time they risked building their own company, 1Z Entertainment, and expressed their creative freedom as visionary talents. The extended play (EP) consists of six tracks with GENTO as the opening track and the whole album was officially released on June 9, 2023 under Sony Music Philippines. Notably, it was recognized as one of The Best OPM Albums and EPs by Esquire Philippines and SunStar Davao in 2023, while it’s been recently announced as one of the nominees for “Album of the Year” at the 2024 Awit Awards. VIDEO: SB19 PAGTATAG! (2023) EP Trailer.
With this EP theme in mind, I liked how the PAGTATAG! The Documentary (2024) started strongly with SB19’s signature hard-hitting beats of the track, CRIMZONE, giving that adrenaline-pumping vibe for a movie. As the track talks about achieving dreams with blood, sweat, and tears, the film precisely introduced the main point of this show with its opening music — the boy band’s challenges and sacrifices towards excellence. The film also ended with Pagtatag’s closing track, FREEDOM, which highlights the celebration of life finally free from entanglements, a true testament of SB19’s challenging journey throughout the second EP.
NARRATIVE
One of the strong points of a documentary is the storytelling because it’s the heartbeat that connects to the audience and the doorway that welcomes you openly onto the unseen or unheard parts, necessary to understand the whole journey.
I liked how the PAGTATAG! The Documentary (2024) revealed the untold struggles and pains of SB19 during their world tour that their vlogs didn’t share — performing while feeling unwell, feeling incomplete without SKOUTS their back-up dancers on stage, experiencing sudden panic attacks right before the concert starts, and going through the unpleasant emotions that ordinary humans face — exhaustion, distress, anxiety, uncertainty, insecurity, and more.
Every feeling presented was real and unscripted, uncovering the reality that behind their powerful performances on stage were moments of struggles and imperfections. These idols may look perfect to a fan, but in reality, they are also humans like us, limited in every way and thus, a work in progress.
I also liked how the documentary captured the teamwork of SB19 members and 1Z Entertainment staff, working together to create a masterpiece, however limited the resources are. The striking words from Ken and Stell are some of the memorable lines in the film:
“How I wish we are a big company, a rich company so that we can give the best show to our fans. Not yet this time.” – Ken
“It’s okay if we lack resources as long as we give our one hundred percent performance on stage for our fans.” – Stell
The film also shows that they are very hands on when it comes to their music and overall product for the group and their company — brainstorming with meta cards, sharing wild ideas, and discussing creative content in a series of meeting sessions. Moreover, it’s an amazement to me how Josh and Pablo get so technically meticulous with their sounds on stage, that they go to the sound booth to discuss with the technical team some corrections such as reverb and echo.
I thought I knew them already just by watching their vlogs, interviews, and showbreaks, but the unfiltered behind-the-scenes of this documentary allowed me to get to know each one better. Josh has this commanding vibe that motivates the crew to action to ensure the show is smooth sailing. Pablo is a deep thinker and conscientious with every detail, a glass of “Lola Remedios” is important to Stell, while Justin always has a brilliant input for their product. Ken has a cool nature who’s not easily discouraged by the events around them, perhaps due to the fact that he’s been fortified by his past experiences growing up. So he seems to be the chill one, always hoping for the best for everyone.
They aren’t just passionate singers, performers, and creators, they are also dedicated leaders, visionaries, and managers, a discovery that made me respect the kind of artists that SB19 are.
If I were to calculate the time they spend in life, most of it goes to work as artists and businessmen, and the remaining time is for sleep. Such busy but awe-inspiring, hard-working young men!
I also liked how the film naturally reflects the solid foundation of SB19’s togetherness or spirit of brotherhood that played a crucial part in their epic journey. There maybe moments of giving up but they chose to stay because they are tightly bound to each other as dreamers, overcomers, and brothers for life.
Sige don’t care if you
Believe me
‘Di ako magsisisi
Buong ibibigay
Puso’t kaluluwa kong ito
Heto lang ang kaya ko
Gawa sa pawis, luha’t dugo
Kaya di mababagabag sa kahit ano– A few lines from the “Crimzone” track.
DIRECTION
How you bring thrill and excitement to the audiences about a certain topic depend a lot on the direction and editing of a documentary film. I’m an avid fan of documentaries, film and series, and I can say that Jed Regala’s PAGTATAG! The Documentary (2024) was able to present the core elements of this era in a simple yet straight to the point manner, without neglecting the heart of the matter.
If I were to summarize the flow of this film, the first part presents the global explosion of GENTO that led the group to go on world tour. The second part lies the plot twist, showing the unexpected tension that the group had to face amid the hype and heights of their Pagtatag! (2023) EP tour and anniversary preparations. The final part shares how they overcame their biggest hurdle as a group, embracing their freedom to continue with their craft as SB19.
VIDEO: SB19 PAGTATAG! The Documentary official trailer.
Meanwhile, I’ve observed that there were clips shown in the official trailer of this documentary that were removed in the released film. I checked those scenes again and they seem to be interesting stories as well. I could not help but be curious also about the seed or beginnings of the Pagtatag! (2023) extended play, hoping the documentary captured the creation and build up of Pagtatag EP from scratch — how the tracks GENTO, ILAW, LIHAM, FREEDOM were meticulously written and produced, with a deeper look into the genius mind of Pablo, the band’s chief songwriter, as well as the collaboration work of CRIMZONE as the film has shown the production of the collaborative project for I WANT YOU.
How did Pablo begin and end his writing process for the Pagtatag tracks? Where did Pablo write most of the songs, at home, studio, while driving alone or chilling with his SB19 brothers? How was it like working with his brother Josue for the music production of most of Pagtatag tracks? How did the five members worked together to finalize the whole package of Pagtatag! (2023) extended play from song writing to studio recording and post-production?
CONCLUSION
Indeed, the journey to great things is a difficult one, especially if you have limited resources and you are faced with internal struggles and external attacks. However, SB19 taught us that mountains can be conquered if you stick to one another and look up by faith with your community of dedicated crew and supporters. That the essence of the word “pagtatag” (strengthening) relies on the right people you walk with along the way so that you can withstand the storms of life and emerge stronger than before, moving forward.
“As long as we are together, as long as we have A’TIN, magpapatuloy kami.” – Pablo
If you are an avid fan of SB19, the film will make you smile, laugh, break your heart, touch your heart, and swear to support them all the more in their future endeavors. If you are a casual viewer, it will remove the false judgments you’ve heard about them across social media, you will understand the depth of dedication A’TIN fans have for them, and appreciate them as pure talented and dedicated Pinoy artists.
Overall, 1Z Entertainment’s PAGTATAG! The Documentary (2024) is an inspiring story about five talented Filipino guys who braved the road of becoming self-managed artists while exploring their creative freedom musically and sonically, and showcasing the spirit of brotherhood in the face of challenges. It is good to watch in one sitting and it will leave you asking for more about SB19.
A review by KORB Blog
KORB 