Movie Review: Etiquette For Mistresses

Sure, Etiquette for Mistresses was yet another film about, well, mistresses, but there's something to be said about how the film boldly tackled the other side of the spectrum. It was an interesting look - regardless if the movie was meant to glorify mistresses or not - and I thought the narrative was more introspective than I expected, complex, and real. However, everything went annoyingly downhill towards the end when the film decided that it was in their best interest to shove a plot device that was ridiculously contrived. It felt as if they just didn't know how to end it. On a technical standpoint, it was fairly decent. Some shots were a pleasant surprise - the confrontation scene especially - but the editing felt choppy and rushed. The acting performances, for the most part, was also pretty acceptable - Claudine Barreto was a total scene stealer and while Iza Calzado was terribly underused, she had her moments. Kris Aquino can't act to save her life though. Etiquette for Mistresses was heavily flawed, but strangely compelling. 6