Ten Little Mistresses keeps the social commentary in check with a winning combo of murder-mystery and comedy
Philippine comedy has always had its own flavor that caters to the audience. Found family, over-the-top antics, and a spectacle like no other all form the classic comedic equation that we all know best. The film Ten Little Mistresses gives us that and a lot more.
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Making a movie that thrives on the balance between social relevance and spectacle can be tricky, sometimes, even to a fault. But director Jun Robles Lana succeeds in asserting the power of women, especially scorned.
Actor Jon Arcilla, who plays Valentin and Constantine, put it best during the World Premiere Gala of the film. “The thing about Direk Jun Lana is hindi lang siya nagpapatawa. Lagi rin siyang may sinasabi. He knows when to make you laugh, and he knows when to kick your ass and hit you with content,” the actor pointed out.
Camp as commentary
From the teaser to the ending of the film, the consistency of Ten Little Mistresses to showcase camp can be seen. This flamboyant portrayal of exaggeration started with the mansion maids preparing for the arrival of the mistresses. Their energy was also felt at the movie promotion at SM Megamall for Don Valentin’s mansion reveal.
As a rendition of Maymay’s “Amakabogera” played, the 10 keridas arrived, bringing their own personality into the pool. Besides their own lines and backgrounds, what truly elevated each actor apart was their style.
Costume designer Jay Conanan succeeded in making the audience visualize the edge of every character by focusing on details. Though each costume gave the actors their individuality, they still looked unified for their common palettes in their Zumba and banquet scenes.
While this visual exhibition could pass off as a mere aesthetic decision, it can also be read as society’s perception of women as ostentatious creatures merely functioning to boost a man’s ego. In this case, Valentin, the womanizing widower, relied on his 10 ladies and another secret love interest to keep his manhood intact.
Powerhouse on purpose
The writer-director’s prodigious vision on the film resonates not only with his material, but also with the ensemble of actors he tapped for Ten Little Mistresses. The range of actors were evident in the selection of veterans in both the drama and comedy genres—Eugene Domingo, John Arcilla, Carmi Martin, Pokwang, Agot Isidro, Christian Bables, Iana Bernardez, Sharlene San Pedro, Arci Muñoz, Kris Bernal, Adrianna So, Kate Alejandrino, and Donna Cariaga. Cherry Pie Picache also joined the cast as Charo, Valentin’s wife.
During the Premiere Gala, the audience laughed whenever the stark contrast of the mistresses’ ages were brought up. Child actor Sharlene, the youngest among the pool of women, played another paramour called Moon Young. Her role elicited a social media joke along the lines of “Feel old yet?”
With such a powerhouse roster ready to give their all to their roles, the characters were in good hands. Whatever lack there was in developing some mistresses’ story was forgivable for the way each actor played with what they were given. In fact, they offered much more in their gestures and emotions.
Donna, who played Lilith’s (Eugene Domingo) wingwoman Chiclet, also executed much commitment to her role with the natural utterance of her dialogues. When asked if she would want to play another character, she answered, “Hindi po ako alis bilang Chiclet. Lagi kong ka-eksena si Ms. Uge (Eugene Domingo)—aalis pa ba ako?”
Arcilla, who the general audience always attributed to the stern Heneral Luna, joked his way around the question by mentioning Constantine (Valentin’s identical twin) as the other role he wanted to play. Pokwang’s natural penchant for making people laugh exuded in her chosen alternative role. “Kay Cherry Pie. Pack-up agad!” she joyfully pointed out. “Kahit ganu’n ‘yung kay Ms. Pie, talagang tumatak din naman.”
Her story on history
With their deep understanding of their roles, the cast also offered their first set of audience an advice about love. Particularly, the “veteran” batch of the actors. Agot, who played the third mistress Dr. Helga, was the first to respond during the Q&A portion. “Siguro sa akin, know your worth. Self-respect. ‘Yan ‘yung mga dapat nananaig sa babae kahit anong edad.”
Carmi backed up this answer by also stating that no woman needs a man to be happy. If you find yourself needing one, Eugene left a reminder. “Women are annoying, actually. Women are irritating. We are puzzles, actually. Do not settle for any man who’s less than you deserve.”
Aside from the fresh take offered by this murder-mystery-slash-comedy to women empowerment, Ten Little Mistresses prides itself as the first Filipino Amazon Original movie. This feat, however, did not get into Lana’s head.
“Nagpapasalamat kami na dumating. I was so heartbroken when we had to shelf it, but Amazon came in and we were given the resources to do the movie that we needed to do,” the director said. Initially, the project was put to a pause because the vision could not be executed. “I wanted a movie that’s fun, irreverent, decadent, and we needed to capture that. And we didn’t have the resources for that during that time. So hinintay namin. Parang pag-ibig—naghihintay kami ng tamang partner.”
At the end of the movie, the 10 women were freed of their mistress title with Lilith’s murder act. While the repetitive explanation of her motivation and master plan was borderline preachy, Eugene’s character had all the right to plot revenge. Standing up for the female population is no surprise, given the allegorical reference to her name.
The last shot of the 10 women laughing may have gotten surprised looks from the policemen in the scene, but to the audience, it was already a given that women, indeed, get the last laugh.
Featured Image from PRIME VIDEO (via Instagram)
