‘A Very Good Girl’ (2023) Review: A Sea of Darkness and Revenge
A dangerous game of revenge is not for everyone. It’s hard to forgive and forget, especially for Philo (Kathryn Bernardo). She’s determined to get her vengeance on Mother Molly (Dolly De Leon). Petersen Vargas’ A Very Good Girl is from the perspective of Philo. For the revenge to take place, it takes years of planning and fabricating a different life to show her wealth. Nothing is natural about Philo’s life, and she knows that this is what she has to do to get back at Mother Molly.
The movie gets to the bottom of Philo’s revenge. Mother Molly is the richest, the most revered woman in the Philippines. Her multimillionaire status allows her to gift malls to her loyal subjects. Philo has spent the last five years working hard to plot her revenge. She wears expensive makeup and clothes to show that she is a wealthy person. She finds a close associate and friend of Mother Molly and begins to befriend her to get closer to the multimillionaire. Soon enough, she gets invited to Mother Molly’s house for dinner with her socialite friends. At the dinner, things begin to crack. Mother Molly realises that her friends secretly despise her, and she cuts them off. Philo takes this chance to get close to her good graces, and her carefully planned revenge plot begins to take effect. While playing a dangerous game of emotional warfare, Philo becomes consumed in power and immoral decisions, which takes her on a perilous journey.
One of the best parts of A Very Good Girl is that it reels the audience into the drama almost immediately. The audience learns about the tragic death of Philo’s mother, what happened after Mother Molly fired Philo from her job, and the lengths she went to save money. These story points are presented through a non-linear structure that slowly reveals Philo’s secrets and her plans to take revenge on Mother Molly. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Philo’s carefully constructed and meticulous five-year plan is quite a roller-coaster ride.
While A Very Good Girl brings humour and drama, the non-linear structure doesn’t work for the film’s pacing. In the flashbacks, Philo’s backstory is almost twelve minutes long. Perhaps this is a decision made by Vargas to show the reason why Philo is taking her revenge on Mother Molly, which is fine. However, the flashbacks could have been shortened. Every detail of Philo’s plan and how she reached that point is critical. It seems unnecessary to share these details when the pacing and narrative structure are inconsistent.
Also, the movie pokes fun at the ultra-rich and famous lifestyle of Mother Molly. It’s a satirical film that shows Mother Molly’s absurd wealth while also observing the corrupt justice system that ignores her crimes. She can get away with everything. It’s a distorted reality that only exists to benefit the rich and famous.
Despite slight issues, A Very Good Girl is a campy, satirical film with jarring tonal shifts. It’s predictable, and that’s not a problem because the audience knows how far Philo’s journey will take her. Her morals are questioned. Mother Molly’s entire world is destroyed. Vargas’ latest film is shaky, but it provides dark comedy with incredible performances by Bernardo and De Leon, portraying the disparity of emotions with their eyes.
There is a grey area for seeking justice for the right people. A Very Good Girl shows the many levels of revenge and betrayal. It twists and turns Philo’s plans to test her limit, but this is her story, and she knows this is the right thing to do. Philo’s revenge story is hers, and she embraces the darkness with no turning back.
Strike Funds: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1weorhmG1H7cszY3rGHCpNYsgleegkuOSH7rD47JzSAQ/edit
Solidarity with striking film and television workers: https://freelancesolidarity.org/wga-sag-strike-solidarity/
Here are some reading materials to learn about the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine:
Decolonise Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/
Verso Books: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/solidarity-with-palestine-free-resources-and-further-reading
Haymarket Books: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/subjects/33-palestine
The Free Palestine Library: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FZudPOQZAnYH1iQXNBkqF57GR0lcQMro
More Palestine reading materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14Ln_qYhc7sIs9Ukz5usqAELuKOQ6yUe9
