The story revolves around a 30-year-old history schoolteacher named Toto and a sex worker named Candy. Toto, played by Carlo Aquino, was being poked fun at for being a girlfriend-less virgin. This was the opening of the trailer of the film, which you can go watch here. In Toto's defense, he had no interest in dating because he couldn't afford it. Being the eldest child and a schoolteacher here in the Philippines meant that most of his already meager salary will go to his immediate family. He spent most of his time making dolls as this kept him entertained and preoccupied. His mom wanted him to date around so he can find a life partner. She gave her 500PhP (8.47USD) to take a girl to dinner.
He went out alright, but he chanced upon the "Area" which was like a little red light district near his place. At first, he had no interest to trade his money for a few minutes of pleasure until he saw Candy who he fell in love with at first sight. Candy, Julia Barretto's character, was the hottest and most expensive girl in the Area. Upon hearing that Toto was 200PhP (8.47USD) short of her service fee, she compromised since the business was kind of slow during that time.
Toto, after going back and forth with himself, decided to lose his virginity to Candy and it opened a whole new world for the guy. He was head-over-heels for Candy and it inspired him to look for ways to make money to book more nights with her.
His mother didn't approve so he and Candy lived on their own. They were earning from a decent means but life was still hard and Toto got fired from his teaching job.
The cinematography was just amazing for this film - the lighting, the editing, and the sets were close to realistic. It felt like the film took me to the Philippine red light district. Casting Carlo Aquino and Julia Barretto for this film was the winning card for me. They had undeniable chemistry and they both acted so well. I have to hand it to Julia Barretto for getting so good at her craft. The nuisances of being a sex worker, the moves, the confidence, she was able to deliver those in this role. I couldn't take my eyes off her, she was the aesthetic of this film. The movie was rated by MTRCB as R-13, it had sexual references, but the scenes were not sexually-revealing.
If my friend were up to it, I would've discussed this film for hours on end. I owe it to my pole dancing background to have high respect for sex workers because I know that what they're doing is not easy. I have curious questions that I want to ask them and I was hoping I could get my answers through this film. I liked that the film talked about the socio-economic conditions of the characters and how working your ass off may not be the ticket to get out of it. Teachers and sex workers aren't paid enough, and this was filmed during the time when a dollar was still worth 50PhP. It's now at 59PhP :(
The movie started to fall short for me when it adopted the point of view of Toto and not Candy's. Toto fell in love, but he wasn't able to fully accept Candy as who she was. She kept telling Toto that sex work was what she loved doing and that she was good at it, but Toto found that too hard to live with. The film could've preserved the respect that is due to that line of work. Sex work is still work. Had the film kept this respect intact, I would've rated it a 4.5/5. For now, I give it a 3/5.
Props to the Philippine cinema for coming up with films like these. I would like to see more of Julia Barretto's mature roles and Carlo Aquino's acting prowess after seeing this film. Expensive Candy provided a fresh take on romance and poverty.
She is on a mission to become better than who she was yesterday. A candidate for Masters in Business Administration and a Financial Advisor, she hopes to give value to this space as a motivated individual. She found the perfect marriage between what she wants to do in life and her mission in financial advising. She balances her work and life in the comforts of her home, co-working spaces, and cafes. She loves to meet like-minded people and live her life to the fullest. Watch this space for tales of self-improvement and self-acceptance, per Mark Manson, "the philosophical tightrope."
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