What would you do if all of your life’s problems seemed to be rooted in one singular person? Would you move forward with your life to the best of your abilities, taking each hurdle as it comes, or would you plot to take revenge and seek justice? For Philo (Kathryn Bernardo), a down-on-her-luck “good girl” whose life begins a downward spiral after being fired mercilessly by retail mogul Mother Molly (Dolly de Leon), her obvious choice is the latter. Directed by Petersen Vargas, A Very Good Girl follows Philo on her journey through revenge, conflicting morals, and self discovery, as she seeks retribution from Mother Molly for her mother’s demise and other ensuing misfortunes. Ahead of the U.S. theatrical premiere on October 6th, Asia Blooming spoke with lead actresses Dolly de Leon and Kathryn Bernardo about the film.
For the two actresses, A Very Good Girl is a beautiful segue to introducing the world to Filipino talent, as it features a unique plot that encompasses much more than just a petty revenge story, weaving in cultural traditions and subtleties along the way. With October also being Filipino American History Month, there is no better time to launch the movie in the states. “To me, it really means a whole lot because I think it’s about time Filipino talent is seen by the world. This country is just overflowing with talent, and we’re all over the world, you know? Even if you go to any Filipino home, people are singing or dancing. I’m really proud that this film is making its way to not just North America, but other parts of the world. I’m just proud to be a part of this project because I feel like we’re kind of opening the doors for the Philippines to get into the global stage,” shared de Leon. Agreeing with her on-screen foe, Bernardo added how lucky she felt to be part of such a momentous project. “I’m very grateful to be in this project, especially because they’re trying to sell it internationally. This is something new for me, and I’m just really lucky and really proud to be a Filipino representing Filipino talent, not just in the Philippines, but also internationally. I don’t expect anything, but I’m just hoping that [everyone can] embrace our project with open arms.”
With such an emphasis on highlighting Filipino talent, the movie even features wardrobe exclusively styled by Filipino designers, and it has several details within the film that accentuate their family values. “It’s not entirely just a revenge movie. There’s a lot of sassiness, a lot of fashion in it, and we wore a lot of Filipino designer pieces. Visually, it’s very glossy and very pleasing to watch, and I think it also shows the Filipino values when it comes to mother-daughter relationships,” started Kathryn. “Especially with the flashbacks and in the present scenes where Miss Dolly portrayed my second mom and Miss Angel Aquino [portrayed my mom] for the flashbacks. It’s a good thing that we can showcase or maybe introduce that, you know, Asian people shouldn’t be boxed within these certain roles. They can portray different roles, too.”
While Bernardo’s focus was on the Filipino values the movie visualized, de Leon’s naturally flowed on to how the movie portrays humankind and human nature as a whole. “While it is a revenge movie, it’s also about how these women deal with the hate they have in them.” Recalling their time working on the film, she even shared some of her favorite moments. “My favorite line in the film is ‘Why do bad things always happen to good people?,’ because that’s the reality. We try our best to be good, and we try our best to follow rules and abide by society’s rules. But sometimes, shit happens, and we don’t know how to deal with that. I think every person goes through that in their lives, so I think that there are a lot of people who are going to see a reflection of themselves in the film. Not because it’s a revenge movie primarily, but because every human being goes through that. This film is really a good way for us to see our reflection of ourselves and possibly even laugh at our own reflection and find the humor in the hate.”
With such a prominent message about accepting both the positives and the negatives about oneself in the film, it was important to have a strong main lead that showed those sides clearly as well. For Kathryn, the duality of Philo was one of her favorite things about her character. “I love that she is very empowered; she knows what she wants, and she fights for what is right. But, sometimes she just has all this rage, and all the anger she feels, and sometimes she can get blinded by it, which happens in real life. [People] tend to forget who they are and where they came from when blinded by anger, but I think people should watch this because we all have our evilness within us. Sometimes we don’t know how to show it, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Especially for young women who may feel ostracized or demonized for having negative emotions, Bernardo firmly believes that Philo is a great example of learning to control those emotions while still being able to express them, rather than repress them. “I think it’s good to represent a young woman who can fight for what is right, [because] age doesn’t define the power of the woman. It’s very relatable for me, personally, because I am not perfect myself. I see the imperfections and all the greediness of this character, and that’s what I love about her. It’s just very real, and it’s crazy. She’s crazy, but you actually get where she’s coming from because she’s not just purely evil. She’s seeking justice for her mother. That is very important for me, to show the importance of family at the same time as empowering other women.”
Although both actresses regard A Very Good Girl as a meaningful and worthwhile project for them, they also acknowledge that it was not an easy movie to make. Mother Molly’s character is an enigma to put it simply, as she’s a power-hungry, money-hungry businesswoman who has no regards for those she deems to be below her. Yet, she has small moments of tenderness and softness with Philo. Whether it was real affection or not, this portrayal of these two sides of Mother Molly was no easy feat. “At some point, Molly starts playing this game with Philo and pretends to care, but she really doesn’t. That part was the biggest challenge for me, so I just focused on Molly’s humanity. I just focused on her having real feelings and an authentic affection towards Philo, rather than playing [my character as] someone who is trying to deceive another person. Even with someone like Molly, under all the malice, she just wants love. I think that’s every person’s motivation; we all just want to love and be loved. We just have different ways of showing it and wanting it. I think that Molly was coming from a place of empathy, of wanting to have Philo in her life.”
The film itself is full of twists and turns, and just when viewers begin to think it’s become predictable, something unexpected happens. Philo has several moments of “breaking the fourth wall” to emphasize a point or shock the audience, and ultimately, the film ends on an unexpected note that the two actresses can only describe as karma. “Karma is a bitch,” started Bernardo. “Philo shows compassion, but the universe made Molly pay for all the events she caused. Good karma and bad karma.” Although the villain of the film is very clearly Molly, Philo herself did still make mistakes and cause harm to others as she lost herself to her rage, and like Molly, she has her own karma to face, too. “I hope Philo finds peace. From the start of the movie and through the better part of the movie, you will see how everything changed her. She may have to pay the consequences for her actions, and maybe she’ll go to jail, or maybe she’ll get away with everything. But, I just wish for Philo to have peace, despite everything that’s happened.”
Now that the making of the film has wrapped up and all that’s left to do is share it with the world, both Dolly and Kathryn began to feel a little bit nostalgic. Describing the film in one word, Kathryn went with the color red. “The first thing that comes into my mind is red, because red can mean anger, but at the same time, it can mean love. I think it is very relatable when it comes to this movie, because it started with love, and then the rage, and then you have love again at the end. Red can mean hate, and red can mean love, just depending on how someone interprets it.” For Dolly, rather than a color or an emotion, her one word would be an adjective. “To me, this film is groundbreaking. It explores themes of vengeance, of course, but it also explores themes of sisterhood, of the matriarch, and of motherhood. It explores themes of self searching, empathy, and so many other emotions that are very reflective of the human condition, and that’s why I think it’s groundbreaking. It really veers away from the usual themes that the studio, Star Cinema, does. It was also groundbreaking for Kat, because she’s never played a character like Philo, and it’s groundbreaking for me, too.”
A Very Good Girl hits U.S. theaters on October 6th, and is certainly worth a watch, especially for young adults who are struggling to accept the negative emotions they feel as they eagerly search for perfection instead of themselves. Balancing sinister moments with laughter, A Very Good Girl is a very good portrayal of how life is never black and white, and there are always multiple sides to a story.
