Love triangle with a twist – ‘A Secret Affair’ review
Love triangles are tried-and-tested formulas in local cinema.
"A Secret Affair" banks on this industry staple and spices it up with a tsunami of dialogues that leave you reeling with pain and roaring with laughter -- depending on which side of the fence you're in.
A wronged woman would scream "Ouch!" as Jaclyn Jose advises distraught daughter Anne Curtis: "Anong akala mo sa pambabae? Parang flash floods? Na kapag tumila ang ulan ay huhupa ang baha? Lumikas ka na habang maaga bago mag critical level!"
The unsinkable Jaclyn has more. When Anne asks her, "Bakit ba kasi may mga babaeng papatol sa lalake kahit na alam nilang hindi pwede?" Jaclyn knee-jerk answer is: Kaya kabit ang tawag sa kanila kasi daig pa nila ang epoxy kung kumabit. Kaya querida kasi mga kiri. Kaya mistress kasi nakaka-stress."
This also takes the cake: "(Anne)Masakit talagang masaksak sa likod ng kahit aspile lang ano? (Andi Eigenmann)Sinadya mo ba yun? (Anne) Of course not. Kung sinadya ko yun ice pick ko na ang gagamitin ko."
You guessed it. The wronged woman Rafi is Anne's character; Andi as Sam is the spoiled temptress and Derek Ramsay as Anton is the hapless guy haplessly wedged between them.
Tug-of-war
The tug-of-war involves not just two beautiful women whose stylish dresses make every lady moviegoer turn green with envy. It also involves tradition — represented by Rafi's parents (Jaclyn and Joel Torre) and modernity — as seen in Anton, Rafi and the liberated Sam.
Rafi's parents protest when she decides to live in with Anton as a wait-and-see set-up. The young couple, unfazed, cozies up in a plush condo unit.
Jaclyn's character endures pain and suffering to keep the family together. Andi's mom (Jackie Lou Blanco) also suffers through her husband (Johnny Revilla's) erring ways. But she rants and raves to the point of hysteria.
That's tradition — this time in the name of family -- all over again.
Turns out the tree doesn't always yield the fruit it's expected to bear. The children don't have to follow in their parents' footsteps by acting as if everything's fine when all they want is tear the enemy to pieces in the face of betrayal.
Engagements can be broken, even when the wedding gown and the bridal entourage's attires have been delivered to their doorstep. Parents sit back helplessly as their runaway bride of a daughter stands pat on her decision to think things over.
The results vary from alternately quiet to highly-charged scenes, sarcastic Twitter messages and acerbic lines you'd like to bring home with you and lock in a safety vault lest you lose them forever.
Not what you think
And just when you thought you had the roller coaster of emotions figured out, the film makes a U-turn that says, "Hold it, it's not what you think!"
Remember, the main characters eat, breathe and live in the here and now. So just like the newest gadget that pops up now and then, they spring surprises that hook you like a fish to its bait.
That's what makes "A Secret Affair" far from ho-hum. You end up crying, laughing and nodding to yourself at the unexpected though logical ending.
And while you're at it, you pick up lessons on family, love and betrayal as well.
This, after the copious tears, the catty lines and the looks that could kill.
For all its sophisticated characters and edgy dialogues, the bottom line in "A Secret Affair" is simple, as simple as relationships where betrayal doesn't rear its ugly head. It warns and reminds us that relationships are fragile. So do handle it with care.
