A secret affair should have remained secret

A succession of movies depicting the lives of the rich and famous came shortly after the success of one which showed how a mere indiscretion resulted to a near fatal end.

The movie, " The other woman" broke box office records within a month and producers quickly wanted to cash on it by producing others with the same theme. The latest, of course is this movie " A secret affair", which stars Ann Curtis, Derek Ramsey and Andi Eigenmann. In this movie, Derek is the husband of Anne, while Andi stars as the paramour. In their first movie, Anne used to be the mistress who acted like she was on the verge of a "fatal" attraction.

I remember one interview made by Anne. The 28 year old actress was urging her co-star Andi to do her best in their movie because " the mistress always gets the best and most memorable scenes". I agree. Even in real life, the mistress always gets all the attention.

Now, what do we expect from this movie, which promises to eclipse the first one? Well, I checked the Kapamilya website and here's the movie's plot:

Rafi (Anne Curtis) is happily committed to her lovely partner in life, Mark (Derek Ramsay). She's a bachelorette from a rich family, who belongs to the "Friday Club", the regular get-together of her college friends. Rafi is an attention-getter because of her in and out beauty and impressive credentials. But one day, a major life decision shifts everyone's impression of her. Sam (Andi Eigenmann), a rebellious, carefree and happy-go-lucky woman, who thinks that she can get away with her every dilemma. However, her perspectives turn 180 degrees when she meets the man who unexpectedly changes her life.

Okey, sounds familiar? Yes? There is no "secret" in the movie--it is an obvious take-off from the previous one. And believe me, the man in this movie will surely escape from this caper, unscathed, just like what happened in the first movie.

In our society, having a mistress means a lot to one's machismo image. Sometimes, i think that this one, despicable and detestable to some, but, on hindsight, already socially acceptable. Our laws are not as strict as other societies in punishing say, adultery or concubinage. When one of a couple commits indiscretion, the level of punishment varies based on one's gender.

If the husband is being accused of concubinage, the accuser needs to prove that (1) the husband already cohabited with the mistress and (2) the cohabitation has existed for a time, hence, the presumption of having a sexual relationship.

In the case of a woman being prosecuted for indiscretion, the law is strict---adultery is proven merely by the woman being with a man, even though their is no proof of a sexual relationship.

This explains why this movie, among others, does not punish the man. It punishes the two women who undergo an extreme emotional roller coaster ride while the man looks on.

It's sad that this movie did not try to present a "new story"; rather, it was made to "be commercially safe". The producers probably thought that they already have all the elements for another run to the bank. Crap.

This usual practice explains why there is a slump in the box-office. Our Filipino producers are not really looking for new material. They want to be safe which is understandable.

I miss those days when Philippine cinema produced thought-provoking films that made money and also entertained Filipinos.