Celebrating the10th anniversary of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo‘s partnership as a love team, and also their comeback film after their 2010 hit “Miss You Like Crazy”, “The Mistress” was one of the most commercially successful titles in the country in 2012, becoming the highest grossing non-MMFF of the year while still retaining a spot on the list with the highest grossing Filipino films of all time.
Architect JD is the sole heir of his father’s company, but their relationship is not exactly ideal, with him thinking that Rico never accepted him as his son, and Rico accusing him of cowardice in the face of the crisis the family and the company faced some time ago. Seamstress Sari is the owner of a small boutique, and tries to make ends meet for her family, including her grandmother, Lina. She is also the long-time mistress of Rico, who has helped her in a number of ways through the years. JD and Sari happen to meet in a bookstore, with the former pursuing her relentlessly from the beginning, and her eventually realizing what a good match the two would be. Her feelings for Rico are still there though, and things become much more complicated when JD learns of her other relationship, but does not stop pursuing her. When his mother, Regina, realizes what is happening, the situation becomes dire.
The romantic film has been one of the most popular genres throughout the history of cinema, with female audiences in particular having it as their top choice. Olivia Lamasan follows one of the regular recipes, of having a beautiful woman torn between two men, usually one older and one younger, with the fact that, in this case, are related, adding an intriguing, even if not exactly unique, twist. In that fashion, and as the genre dictates, the story follows a path filled with cliches, particularly in the way the two protagonists meet, flirt, are hit by reality and come to terms with their situation, with the ending moving towards the direction romantic movies directed by women usually follow. Furthermore, it is easy to say that the movie has not aged well, particularly contextually, since JD’s behavior would definitely be judged as offensive and even stalking today, in regards to the way he pursues Sari. Lastly, the soap opera elements, mostly deriving from Regina, are also present, while, ast 125 minutes, the movie definitely overextends its welcome.
The aforementioned issues, though, do not mean that the movie is without merits. First of all, the two protagonists, John Lloyd Cruz as JD and Bea Alonzo as Sari have obviously perfected their chemistry, with all of their scenes together being quite entertaining to watch, maybe with the exception of the fight. Starting with the first scene, and continuing with the courting, the measuring one, the music-video like sequence, and the one with the wedding in the cave, the two actors portray a couple whose interactions actually carry the movie for the majority of its duration. In the same fashion, the casting is probably the biggest trait of the film, with Hilda Coronel as Regina, Ronaldo Valdez as Cortez and Anita Linda as Lina adding both a star quality and charisma in the production. Lastly, the presence of the chubby boy adds a very welcome sense of humor.
Hermann Claravall’s cinematography is also top notch. The two protagonists are obviously gorgeous, and Claravall does not miss any chance of showing the fact, both in their common scenes and when they are alone. The portrayal of the various locations, and particularly the cave of the wedding is excellent, and in general, the visual aspect is one of the movie’s best traits. Marya Ignacio’s editing retains a fitting mid-to-fast tempo, but as mentioned before, some trimming would definitely benefit the movie.
“The Mistress” is the film that will very hardly be appreciated by any other than fans of romantic dramas, but within the category, it has not nothing to be jealous of of the top movies in the genre.
