Look at it. A guy proposes to his girlfriend a mere 2 months after they meet and does so on stage, in front of complete strangers and - for effect (also to serve as a distraction from his crazy, stalker-like intent) - does so after a romantic song has been sung by a Soul siren.
Who wouldn't say yes to this set-up?
And Anne Curtis' character did say yes.
But she expresses doubt the next day when she asks Anton:
'Why did you think I'd say yes?' or "Why did you think I won't say NO?"
to which Anton replies something like 'I know you wouldn't. When did you ever say NO to me?' --
this line reveals how Anton has carefully studied Anne's motivations. He knows her enough to get her to do what he wants. And her saying Yes is one of them.
That is why Anne's character says she has been "swept off (her) feet...wala ka talagang maiisip."
Girl, that is his point. That is his goal. And that is exactly what happened until Anne realized something isn't right.
Fortunately, him studying what makes her tick was not enough for him to know what she will do next.
Naturally, & appropriately so, Anne leaves. It's not just cold feet. It's confusion - and it is completely logical for her to feel so. She says she feels overwhelmed - and with good reason.
Her unconscious knows she has been expertly manipulated, pressured even, to say YES. But she doesn't know this, she only feels this. Specifically, she feels weirded out (which on its own is a good sign)
so to make sense of her uncertainty, she decides to clear not just her head or heart but her space. That is why she left him.
Anton didn't see this coming so he feels devastated, but it's not because he loves his girlfriend. It's because his "plan" didn't work.
What the fuck is your hurry dude?
What are you in a hurry for?
Afraid that she'd change her mind and see through you?
Because his Plan A didn't work, enter Plan B.
When Plan B presents itself, through Andi Eigenmann's character Sam, he takes it, even has sex with his Plan B.
Did he do so out of loneliness?
Is he sad?
Who cares?
He can only care about what he's feeling right now and he feels like hell because someone had the good sense to know something was up.
He didn't even ask himself if he is the reason or if he did something to make Anne's character leave abruptly.
All he could think of was what was done to him, not on what he did or could have possibly done to elicit such a reaction from his gf.
And because all he could think of was what was done to him, he is only concerned with what he's going to do now.
But wait. Anne comes back!
So Anton ditches his jailbait fling (the younger they are, the easier they are to manipulate - he thinks) and returns back to the apologetic, guilty arms of his gf.
What is annoying is that the movie panders to the sensibility of dudes who pretend to feel guilty while fornicating extra-maritally.
Like he doesn't like what's happening. Weh.
Take note, you don't have to have sex in order to have sex.
According to experts - by experts I mean the author and creator of a book called SEX and a man who admitted he had sex with a woman outside his marriage - Madonna and David Letterman:
"Just thinking about sex is sex."
Take note again, when guilt comes after an illicit fornication, that illicit fornication will happen again.
Compare the post-coital guilt to guilt that comes at the thought of an illicit fornication and the minute before an illicit fornication --- and you will see that there is a huge universe of difference between all three.
When there is no guilt felt at all by the fornicator, you have a case of a chronic philanderer.
Is it possible for a dude to be emotionally faithful yet physically philander?
NO,
unless you're living in a Mormon state, in a Mormon relationship(s), or in a tribe where sexual orgy is a rite/ritual where unfaithfulness or philandering isn't even an issue much less a word.
But if you're in a society where dichotomy is the norm and self-dichotomy is encouraged and promoted by institutions society looks up to - e.g. Love God, deny your self; Cut your hand if it sins, etc. - then the question:
"Is it possible for a dude to be emotionally faithful yet physically philander?"
makes sense.
If you philander, you're automatically not emotionally faithful at all. You never were.
Faithfulness is not the issue.
Philandering is not the sin, it's only a symptom of a disease.
It's the disease of feeling not having enough; the disease of feeling empty; it's the bottomless-pit-disease.
Bottomless pit is where someone feels perpetually dissatisfied, empty and no amount of anything could make that someone feel full.
When a philanderer feels nothing he does or could ever do will fill that bottomless pit inside, he surrenders to the idea that philandering is something he has to do for life. He organizes his life around his philanderings and allow the philandering to get a hold of him - not the other way around.
As a result, the philanderer doesn't take his philandering personally. In his perspective, it's just something he does normally and naturally like breathing, eating. He thinks this is what he needs to do in order to live.
Anton has shades of this. Fortunately, Anne's character values her self enough to make the life-saving decision to finally say "NO" to Anton.
That is why the movie is not just smart, it is self-aware.
It even contextualized the situation Anne's and Andi's characters were in and why their lovelives are chaotic - they grew up with their parents' lovelives similarly in disarray.
Minus the absent men to whom the women in this movie were fighting for, A Secret Affair could have been better. Is it because the movie decided it's more fun to see women fighting women compared to men fighting women or women fighting men?
Also, take note of how the men's philandering were referred to as: "Nambababae."
As if a woman is an evil vice like smoking or drinking. Why are we - and if you're a woman, ask yourself this too - contributing to the idea of placing women alongside these objects? Why is the object of `derision" put on "Women" a.k.a. the "other woman" and not the activity of the man?
Is it the woman's fault? or is the fault due to man's poor self-control?
Womanizing is an activity, a hobby? Philandering, betrayal, infidelity is not?
Using "Nambababae" or "Womanizing" in this context puts the women as the object when the subject should actually be the man's activity and penchant for deceit, cheating, hanky-panky.
Women, please do not allow yourself to refer to your Self this way. Plleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.
Minus the absent acting skills of Derek Ramsey (whose muscles, good looks and sexy tattoos compensated for his lack of talent), this movie is entertainingly watchable.
Minus Star Cinema's magic wand and thanks to Viva's respect for the craft of story-telling, this movie allowed Mel Mendoza del Rosario to create a logical and relatably believable story.
Minus Nuel C Naval's beautifully rendered shots, scenes, images, camera angles and overall handiwork, this movie would not have been fun to watch. Nuel C Naval is good!
This movie is visually entertaining. It's like watching a glossy magazine come alive right before your eyes.
It also makes good sense.
Yey!
0 comments:
Post a Comment