The much-awaited film of the year 'A Very Good Girl' was released in Philippine cinemas last September 27, 2023. Artists from different networks attended the premiere night, especially the lead actors, Kathryn Bernardo and Ms. Dolly de Leon with its director Peterson Vargas.
After two hours of the event, gripping reviews on social media platforms were posted. The movie has been receiving acclaim from artists, directors, film critics, journalists, and moviegoers.
From my point of view, 'A Very Good Girl' is indeed a new era of Star Cinema and Kathryn Bernardo. It's campy, messy, twisted, and vibrant. Honestly, there are a lot of things here that made the film unsure of what it wants to be. Also, I felt like they held back from making it darker than I expected. Some character's backgrounds were not fully developed which I considered loopholes in its storyline.
Despite the negative aspects of the movie, the editing and cinematography showed that a Filipino film can DO BETTER after the pandemic -- without thinking about the budget but more about the quality itself. I commend the musical scoring which set the mood and made the film more intense and nerve-wracking; in short, it was a roller coaster ride of emotions. Every scene was a chef kiss as they say!
Biases aside, Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly De Leon both showed exceptional performances. No doubt De Leon was nominated in the Golden Globe Awards for her performance in the 'Triangle of Sadness.' If you know the 'mata-mata acting' term, the two leads did that very well; they can act without dialogue; and they both MOTHERED! I must say this is by far Bernardo's best performance in her entire career. She proved that being part of a love team - with her reel and real-life partner Daniel Padilla - does not prevent her from exploring new and mature roles (can't wait for her next project 'Elena 1944' which is a story of a comfort woman during the Japanese Occupation). Her naysayers keep arguing that she's 'pabebe' but she proved them wrong in this film. It's true "na ang pelikulang ito ay nangangain nang buhay," as stated by the writer of the film , Marionne Dominique. For me, Bernardo deserved to be called an ACTRESS.
Talking about the message of the film, there are societal and political issues shown where the system is unjust and unfair to poor people. As Mother Molly said:
"Justice is expensive and poor people cannot afford it."
Sadly, this is happening in reality in which rich people can manipulate justice and the truth. Satire was the main ingredient they used to serve us bitter true events here in our country, specifically that one scene (spoiler alert!) where Mother Molly was wearing a neck brace which represents a very prominent government official (guess who?).
All in all, the film was not perfect. I suggest that they could have gone darker and focused on the main goal of the story. However, one thing I realized was the end credits make sense which justifies the title of the film ( yes, you should wait for it before leaving the cinema). I would say that it was worth the penny because of the production and the actors' brilliant performances.
The Philippine Cinemas deserve a chance this post-pandemic. So, bring your friends and family but remember, this film is Rated 13!
'A Very Good Girl' is still showing in cinemas nationwide and internationally.
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