‘Querida’ phenomenon, with all of its complex layers, exposed

“ETIQUETTE FOR MISTRESSES.” Its plus points are weighed down by dodgy plotting maneuver.

JULLIE YAP DAZA’S “Etiquette for Mistresses” is a comprehensive, insightful and entertaining book on the “other woman” in Philippine life and society, a familiar and yet “secret” presence whose existence says a lot about our actual mores, as opposed to the piously avowed kind.

The book provides more than enough material for a similarly insightful and entertaining film on the heretofore “hush-hush” subject, the better to open the eyes, hearts and minds of many more people to the impact of the social and sexual phenomenon on the Filipino family—either the first, second or—?

How timely, therefore, is Star Cinema and Chito Roño’s decision to dramatize the phenomenon and syndrome on the movie screen—but, the shift from book to film has necessitated major changes or transmutations to make the material “work” in its new form—as a film.

Thus, the decision has wisely been made to focus on just five key mistresses, from the mature veteran played by Cheena Crab to the youngest recruit, Kim Chiu—with lawyer Iza Calzado, pragmatic Kris Aquino and hyper-emotional Claudine Barretto in between.

In addition, telling selectivity is evident in the actual incidents and specific relationships that have survived the radical shift from page to screen.

Since only a few of them could be included, they had to be especially rich in significance and resonance—so that, from these sketchy notes, the entire “querida” phenomenon, with all of its complex levels and layers, could be not just effectively but “satisfyingly” represented.

—Satisfying to whom? Well, let’s just say that the mistresses watching the film would be the best judges of that, showering the film with the supreme compliment of verifying its authenticity in depicting the pampered and yet, pained subculture they inhabit!

Not being insiders in this regard, we can only surmise that the movie has done well by this standard—with the glaring exception of its final fourth section, where its earnest attempt to reach for a powerfully clarifying climax has made the film get itself into an awkward plotting cul de sac that involves the well-intended “kidnapping” of Iza’s character’s lover!

The emotional event does galvanize the movie’s penultimate proceedings and result in the final “inspiring and redeeming” insight that even a mistresses can find true love at the final fade.

That’s a thematic plus point—but a dodgy plotting maneuver that makes the film end in an anticlimactic and perplexing pretzel.

It does bring all of the principals supportively together at the final fade, but at substantial cost to the clarity, focus and believability of its storytelling.

On point of performances, Barretto is assigned the most “colorful” role, so she comes across most strongly. Contrastingly, the pragmatic character Aquino is tasked to personify results in her coming up with a bland and merely “correct” characterization.

Surprisingly, Calzado’s performance is even more unfocused and lacking in bite and impact, despite the film’s final scenes’ full concentration on her story.

As for Chiu, her character is kept away from her married lover for so long that her story loses believability, and her tinny speaking voice also gets in the way.

And, what about Crab? She’s the film’s best “larger-than-life” character find and keeps it—brassy and sassy!