September 6, 2022
Mr. Renato "Toto" Camaya (Carlo Aquino) was a history teacher in a high school in Pampanga. He was very serious with his job, but he only took home a measly salary of P7500 per payday, which he still dutifully turned over to his mother Yolly (Marnie Lapus). He was already turning 30 and still very much single, so his virginity was a topic of curiosity among his students, led by resident bully Gopez (Francis Magundayao).
One day, Toto wandered into Area, a notorious place frequented by men who wanted a quick romp in the hay. The moment he laid eyes on Candy (Julia Barretto), the most expensive girl there at P700 a session, Toto was so smitten by her allure that he just had to have her even if he only had P500 in his pocket. After that first encounter with her, Toto was obsessed to be with her, even if he had to resort to demeaning or unethical sidelines to afford her fees.
Carlo Aquino already turned 37 years old this week, but he still looked quite young here as Toto. He actually needed to dial down his strong screen presence a bit to be credible as an introvert who made papier-mache figurines as a hobby and made ice candy to sell to his students. At this point in his career, he does not have to prove anything anymore when it came to acting prowess. He played Toto with restraint to give way to the real star of the show.
This movie was mainly Julia Barretto's showcase to further push her forth as the "Drama Princess" of local cinema. The shock value is immediate from the daring poster and trailer alone. Julia Barretto at 25 has shed off her sweet image and all inhibitions to play a pragmatic prostitute. Her Candy wore skimpy silky lingerie to slinky swimwear, as she walked the neon-lit streets of Fields, gyrated in the pit of the Dollhouse or cavorted on a luxurious hotel bed.
Writer-director Jason Paul Laxamana is coming back after a long break during this pandemic which interrupted his prolific streak of films from 2016 to 2019. He has not lost his touch in getting the best out of his actors in these bittersweet love stories in which the characters need to make major life-changing decisions. He was already able to guide Julia Barretto to a remarkable performance in "Between Maybes" (2019), and now he upped her bar some more.
Part of us wished that Julia Barretto did not have to take on a brazenly provocative role like this. We could not help but feel protective of her in a way. However, Barretto is of age and there are indeed smart independent young women her age who really make their living this way. So Barretto in essence is just reflecting reality as an actress who had matured in her career, ready to take on roles beyond her comfort zone, and for that we respect her decision.
There's plenty of skin exposure and scenes of intimacy, but Laxamana never went all-out Vivamax-level graphic in the depiction of Candy's salacious occupation. When the price is right, Candy gave her customers a free hand to do whatever they want to do with her body, but Laxamana wisely left what happens next to the imagination of his viewers. With Laxamana judiciously deciding the limits of what his camera showed, the mystique that is Julia Barretto still remains intact. 6/10
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