"The Wife" with its sensual poster and controversial tagline would make you think its another film that's about sex, infidelity and marital issues - much like many films in VivaMax's lineup. But surprisingly, the film was very far from that and those that expect the usual bombastic showcases from the local streaming platform will be sorely frustrated to be deceived. For us, this was a breath of fresh air showing that there's still hope and a slow movement back to a balanced approach when it comes to local content.
They say marriage changes a couple's dynamic and this became true with Mara (Louise delos Reyes) and Cris' (Diego Loyzaga) marriage. Cris, on a spur of a moment, decided to do a one night stand with his ex Lee (Cara Gonzales). When Mara finds out about his infidelity, their marriage turns sour. Cris doesn't give up though and is slowly trying to earn Mara's trust and forgiveness and as soon as things are starting to become okay again, Cris learns that he has a terminal illness. With months left to live, can Mara and Lee learn to accept each other as they try to take care of the love of their lives?
"The Wife" lacks polish no doubt as it had rough patches in its pacing and narrative. There were sudden shifts in tone and scenes that heavily impacted the development of our characters. But overall, the premise and narrative was more than what we expected. While the film leads you to believe that this was a tale about infidelity, it was more than just that. It was about forgiveness, acceptance, companionship, friendship and a lot more. The story beame more effective with Louise delos Reyes' strong performance. While we have to admit that not all of these scenes made sense, she showed that she had the ability to provide satisfying drama-heavy scenes consistently. Unfortunately, a lot less can be said with her co-lead Cara Gonzales who struggled to deliver her lines well and provided an awkward acting performance in most of her scenes. Overall, "The Wife" was competent enough for us to give it a good rating. Don't expect a masterpiece but expect to be surprised with its deeper content on marriage and friendships.
Rating: 3 reels
Why you should watch it:
- the narrative was actually deep and non-sex focused
- great performance from Louise delos Reyes
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the pacing was rough around the edges
- it still had some unnecessary sex scenes but at least it didn't go balls out as usual
- Cara Gonzales needs work with her acting and line deliveries
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