June 20, 2023
Josie (Kylie Versoza) had always been struggling to keep her online businesses afloat. She also accepted side jobs to make extra money. One night, she accepted a minor gig as a waitress at an event. There she unexpectedly met her ex-boyfriend Seb (Marco Gumabao), who was looking very handsome in a snazzy get-up. She was amazed that in a few years after their breakup, he had gone from being a lowly janitor to a stylish man of the world.
Seb confessed that he was now into sugar dating. He was currently a sugar baby to a sugar mommy, Vivian (Giselle Sanchez), a rich matron who loved buying him lavish gifts and expensive trips. He was in a support group with other sugar babies -- sharing experiences about their sugar parents and the fancy gifts that they have been receiving. After her first few dates, Josie began to feel that this swinging lifestyle might be the right one for her.
The whole film was like an introduction to sugar dating -- its ups and downs. It clarified its definition, and distinguished it from prostitution -- that it was about making the client feel good by giving him or her time, attention and emotional connection. Whether their partnership will head into the bedroom, the sugar baby was the one in control. Whether there was such a thing as a Sugarlinks app in reality, it would actually not be too far-fetched.
I've read someone describe Kylie Versoza and Marco Gumabao as the Barbie and Ken of Philippine cinema, and that is quite an apt description. These two attractive and fit stars looked very good whatever they were wearing -- be they formals, casuals or swimwear. It was completely realistic that they should be very popular among the well-to-do users of a sugar dating app. They were both given dramatic moments to shine in, and they did very well.
One most memorable scene featured Yayo Aguila as the mother of Seb. His whole life, Seb held a grudge against his mother because she had not been very loving with him while he was growing up. A restrained Aguila delivered a bitter monologue explaining her side to her son, all the while holding in her tears. It may have felt like an odd episode, because it had nothing to do with sugar dating, but director JP Laxamana turned it into a true dramatic highlight. 6/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment