The Mistress Movie Review

So how will I start writing a review for the local movie The Mistress? Let me just say it’s so corny I’m gonna die! I’d say so in reference to that children’s film Despicable Me with one of the children saying “it’s so fluffy I’m gonna die!”

But why would I say so? First, I’m not a fan of cheesy movie flicks. But despite this movie being corny all in all for someone like me, I actually love it. Just like that kid in the animated movie I just mentioned, I’m enthralled after watching this film that I am smiling from ear to ear. 

Summary

For those who have not seen the movie yet, I can summarize it this way. JD meets Sari and wanted to know her better. It turns out that she is actually his father’s mistress. But despite his desire to hate her, he persistently chased after her in the hope that he will become her everyday man knowing that his dad, Rico Torres Sr. is with her every Thursday for the past five years. JD’s mom suffers from her husband’s womanizing but continues to stay with him, drinking her misery away. JD learned that he was not his father’s son during one of the instances when his mom was drunk. He thought that this explained why his father paid more attention to his older and deceased brother. He took the name JD after leaving their family’s company. JD stands for Juancho Diego, a poet and his real father’s name.

Cast and Characters

Bea Alonzo as Sari or Rosario Alfonso

John Lloyd Cruz as Eric "JD" Torres

Ronaldo Valdez as Rico Torres

Hilda Koronel as Regina Torres

Anita Linda as Sari’s grandmother

Carmi Martin as Sari’s stepmom

K Brosas as fellow wardrobe mistress

Minne Aguilar as fellow wardrobe mistress

Tony Mabesa as tailor shop owner

Gabe Mercado as one of the regular clients of the shop

Nor Domingo as JD’s fellow architect

Clarence Delgado as Mamon, kid who fell in love with Sari

What Makes The Mistress Different?

Unlike other romantic films, The Mistress doesn’t follow the usual recipe for romance. This is after all a movie about a mistress. If that isn’t enough conflict already, the mistress in this film is torn between her lovers - a married man and his son. She honestly loves the old man but has also fallen in love with the younger guy. Additional conflict such as the matriarch bearing a child (the younger lover) with someone else and that child growing up unloved are just added spice to the already controversial topic about mistresses.

What makes this movie different also is that it attempts to depict mistresses beyond the norm. The film attempts to understand the motive behind being involved in this type of relationship. In this movie, the mistress explains why she is having an illicit affair with a married man. The old man believed in her talent, had paid for her grandmother’s medical operation, supposedly didn’t ask for anything in return of all favors, but asked for her Thursdays. She simply gave in. But she does love him and he loves her too. She also believes that the old man is actually a good man despite all.

The younger lover on the other hand is a picture of a persistent lover who continues to love despite issues. He understands and yet accepts. He believes that there is more to life even for mistresses and they are not cursed to such a fate for life. But unlike other films, this isn’t any fairy tale with a happy ending.

Societal Issues

Mentioning about a mistress alone is already a reality in our society today. We normally look at them with judging eyes without knowing about the story behind falling into the trap of being a mistress. Society also normally jumps into conclusion about married couples no longer loving each other because they are having an affair with someone else. That’s not always the case. In this film, although the husband was first to cheat, it’s the wife who remains unforgiven despite the years gone by. That’s because unlike the husband who normally doesn’t fall in love with his lovers, the wife fell in love and even had a son. As always, cheating husbands are more tolerable than cheating wives in society.

Quotable Quotes

In relation to Thursdays exclusively shared by the married older man and his younger mistress as mentioned earlier, the legal wife said something worthy to be quoted. She said that her husband is with her every f*ck*ng Thursday, f*ck*ng every Thursday. J But what’s probably most memorable are the lines, “di dahil gusto mo, makukuha mo…”

Philosopher’s Love Song

In relation to that quote, one of the old poems I wrote before came into mind again especially that last line which goes like, “if lovers are not meant to be, they can simply love and not be.” The rest of the lines of the poem can be found in this collection - Collection of Love Poems PART II: Love in Bliss and in Pain.

It’s not a happy ending like most feel good films. The father died but at least he was reconciled with his wife and his son before his death. But despite that, the expected ending is unexpectedly different from what most of us thought it will be like. JD didn’t end up with Sari. She broke up with him and went on a business venture with her old boss. JD on the other hand became his father’s business successor.

The wedding scene is phenomenal and echoes that poem’s lines. JD drove Sari all the way to Tuguegarao to send off a client’s last minute wardrobe request change. With closed eyes, JD asked Sari what can possibly happen if he and she were both not associated with his father. Of course, there's already an answer to that. So what she saw in a vision of him waiting for her in the altar while him on other hand saw her walking towards him towards the altar didn't happen simply because of the answer to the previous question. The culmination of their love is of course consummated with lovemaking. It isn’t as daring as other Pinoy flicks at least. My friend said that Aga Muhlach and Angel Locsin offered something worse in a different movie.

But anyway, going back to The Mistress, the forlorn lovers didn’t up together. She was looking over the newly renovated shop’s window while he passed by with his driver driving his car. They seemed to have exchanged subtle smiles, so for a moment, I thought they would meet. But then again, they didn’t and the movie ended. I waited till the end of the credits but there was no post-movie teaser as I normally see in most Hollywood movies. It really ends there and it’s sad. But that’s life. In reality, the movie’s line holds true, “di dahil gusto mo, makukuha mo…”