5 Reasons Why Mistress Movies Need to Stop

For a country where a majority of people are tagged as devout Catholics, we sure have a lot of movies revolving around infidelity—so much so that we sigh with exasperation when we hear a new one is reportedly right around the corner. More so, when young kids accidentally see a trailer or hear the word mistress, kabit, kerida, or the other woman, we parents scratch our head formulating a strategy on how to explain it—that, or just cop out and say, "I'll explain it to you when you're older."

Is it a fascination for extramarital affairs that drives box office sales? Or maybe it's our love for dramatic showdown scenes that has studios steadily churning out new tales of adultery. Either way, we've seen enough, and here's why.

No Other Woman (2011)

The scenario: Kara (Anne Curtis) is a fiery temptress who leads the restless Ram (Derek Ramsay) astray from his beautiful yet dutiful wife, Charmaine (Cristine Reyes). Kara promises a no-strings affair that doesn't work out as planned. She later falls in love with him and begs him not to leave her.

The WTF moment: It conveniently doesn't occur to Kara and Charmaine that the problem here is Ram, who just couldn't keep it in his pants for the woman that he says he loves. Instead, they humiliate themselves for him with quotable, passive-aggressive verbal spats. When that isn't enough, they escalate to public catfights.

A Secret Affair (2012)

The scenario: In this movie, Anne Curtis plays Rafi, the wife of Derek Ramsay's Anton. On the eve of their wedding, Rafi gets cold feet and disappears. To nurse his broken heart, Anton sleeps with Sam (Andi Eigenmann), one of Rafi's friends. Rafi eventually returns with every intention of getting Anton back.

The WTF moment: Despite adding history between Anton and Sam, the film is just as revolutionary as its genre which only means...not very much. Rafi and Sam aren't afraid to physically assault each other for the man they love, while they let him sit back and do next to nothing. When it comes to the catty lines, the puns are overkill and you almost wish you were watching No Other Woman instead.

The Mistress (2012)

The scenario: When JD (John Lloyd Cruz) meets Sari (Bea Alonzo) at a bookstore, he is instantly smitten. She's beautiful but distant, which only intrigues him more. He eventually learns that Sari is his father's mistress—and the reason for his mother's (Hilda Koronel) heartache and alcoholism.

The WTF moment: We appreciate The Mistress' efforts to deliver a complex take on an already overdone subject. Still, we couldn't help but cringe when despite learning Sari's secret, JD inexplicably finds ways to be in her life and eventually, falls in love with her. It simply doesn't make any sense, given his love for his mother and how he hates his father for his extramarital ways. Somehow, he finds it in himself to overlook the uncomfortable—but we just couldn't. 

When the Love is Gone (2013)

The scenario: When Audrey (Alice Dixson) ventures into a new business, she suddenly has no time for her husband, Emman (Gabby Concepcion). The poor and neglected husband naturally seeks companionship with Cassie (Cristine Reyes).

The WTF moment: It doesn't take too long for Emman's secret affair to be revealed. This is enough for Audrey to concoct a bizarre proposition: Emman can continue his affair, as long as he splits time between Audrey and Cassie, and he makes sure to pretend everything is okay in front of his daughter. It's bewildering how Audrey would think it's a good idea, especially when she later tells him, "I'd rather na meron siyang isang ama na hindi niya inaasahan kaysa isang ama na inaasahan niya that always lies to her."

Etiquette for Mistresses (2015)

The scenario: Based on the controversial bestseller by Jullie Yap Daza, the film revolves around a group of friends who all happen to be mistresses (of different men, thankfully). When Kim Chiu's character befriends the group, they take her under their wing and teach her their ways.

The WTF moment: Similar to the book, the film throws in some "rules" on how to be a successful mistress. And although the cast says the film doesn't glorify or judge marital affairs, the trailer will probably make you feel otherwise. 

This story originally appeared on SPOT.ph.

*Minor edits have been made by the SmartParenting.com.ph editors.