“Etiquette for Mistresses” revolves around the lives of five kept women and the secret world they are in. It is a story about infidelity that barely draws its conflict between the wife and the mistresses, themselves.
Instead, it encompasses through the lives of our five leads who are all mistresses, the conflicts among them, and against their own selves. That isn’t necessarily a rare take of the already tired plot, and it doesn’t mean it pays utmost reverence to its tradition. What it does is avoiding hitting the extremes, and shedding light on the more uncharted territories of the genre.
The whole movie is hardly defined by one or two characters alone. It works more efficiently through the maneuver of the bigger players, but those in periphery are all equally vital elements radiating around those mostly placed under the spotlight. Georgia ( Kris Aquino) is in charged of molding Ina (Kim Chiu) into an ideal “kept woman”, and together with the other three–Chloe (Claudine Barretto), Charley (Cheena Crabs), and Stella (Iza Calzado)–they introduce her to the secret world of mistresses, teaching her ways of surviving their affairs without exposing themselves into public eye.
Such act is hardly an easy job to pull off for then young Ina, who has flown in from her Visayan hometown to Metro Manila, just to play a role she still barely knows. Often caught between the other mistresses’ petty brawls, Ina finds herself in a devouring sense of isolation, an unexpected sadness that quickly establishes a foothold in her life, one that would transcend through all the key players of this multiple-charactered affair. Such is the moment when the narrative assumes an emotionally complex form, and it further feeds on the complications of their seemingly inescapable situation. It allows itself get entangled with its own conflicting threads, and thereby making itself capable of evoking a poignant sentiment that may not be necessarily relatable, but searing enough to draw sympathy from the audience. The movie’s pragmatics work this way with compelling results, and it keeps dropping commentaries on social concerns from time to time, creating sensible regards that go beyond the cloaked prohibited affair they are part of.
When it comes to production value, Chito Roño has pretty much delivered and pulled off some commendable direction choices. He has nimbly maneuvered his actors toward their utmost capabilities, deftly knitting each sequences to explosive moments that make key characters shine. He is successful letting Kim Chiu’s star shine the most, making her represent the emotional weight of the narrative. This doesn’t necessarily mean Chiu should bag the best actress award, but she has provided every possible emotion to make her character work, and for that she’s truly commendable.
But in the wake of its complications, the narrative heads to a fall. That fall happens during the last phase of the story, when it tries to shed light on the less exposed characters. That’s where the problem mostly emanates.
What’s exactly the point in placing these support to the center of the story when the film itself has barely regarded what they could have offered, in the first place? Such is the case of Iza Calzado’s Stella and Cheena Crabs’ Charley. Iza here has done commendable dramatic performance, and Cheena has pulled off most of the movie’s comic effort, but they are largely utilized.
But then, that made Barretto’s Chloe and Aquino’s Georgia, steal some crucial moments. The confrontation between the two are among the film’s best highlights. It is also noticeable that Barretto is alreasy back to form, easily pulling off her character like it was tailor-made for her.
For most part, “Etiquette for Mistresses” delivers a compelling case of a complex extra-marital affair. It doesn’t tolerate the act, but it doesn’t celebrate it either. But it draws sympathy when it delivers some sentiments that speak tangible truths about women empowerment, about love, and all its entanglements.
For that, and its decency, the film is worth the recommendation.
RATING: 8/10
