Working Girls (1984 film)
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| Working Girls | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ishmael Bernal |
| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Willy Cruz |
| Cinematography | Manolo Abaya |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Viva Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language |
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Working Girls is a drama ensemble Filipino film directed by Ishmael Bernal. Produced by Viva Films. It was released in 1984. It stars Hilda Koronel, Gina Pareño, Rio Locsin, Chanda Romero, Carmi Martin, Maria Isabel Lopez, and Baby Delgado as seven women working in Ayala Avenue in Manila, Philippines.[1]
The theme song "Working Girl" is sung by Chona Cruz and composed by Mon Del Rosario.[2] The girl-group Eurasia made a song with the same title for the 2010 sequel.
Plot[edit]
Seven different women working different jobs. In a banking firm, Carla Asuncion (Hilda Koronel) is a career-driven woman swimming amongst the man-dominated company, Suzanne Galang (Carmi Martin) a flirtatious gossip-hungry secretary is friends with Sabel Rosales (Rio Locsin) a young humble secretary who got impregnated by one of her bosses. In another company, Amanda de Luna (Baby Delgado) is hoping to get married to Raul (Tommy Abuel). Anne Concio (Chanda Romero) suffers from domestic issues when her success is intimidating her husband, Tony. Rose (Maria Isabel Lopez) is the company’s receptionist and debt burden. Lastly, Nimfa (Gina Pareño) aims to send her son to a prestigious school by selling jewelries to women in offices.
Sabel is working under Carla as a secretary, she is aware of Sabel and Raul’s relationship and disagrees with it. Suzanne is sleeping with her boss, Joey; she convinces him to go for the upcoming available position of senior vice president. Amanda visits Raul in his office, much to Sabel’s jealousy, Both Sabel and Carla suffers from sexist remarks from their respective colleagues. Carla aims for the available position and is ready to face Raul. In another company, Rose is pressured to buy a dress that she couldn’t afford but couldn’t pay off a loan from another officemate, she borrows money from another secretary. Anne turns down an advance from Eddie as her own husband grows colder with her. Roy, Carla’s boyfriend; pressures her into marriage, but she declines saying that her career is finally moving. The next day, Anne is making breakfast for her family but is having a hard time to juggle chores. She tries to confront Tony but couldn’t say the words. Nimfa visits her supplier of jewelry, and she reveals that she might get married with a future senior vice president. She visits Rose and asks her to pay her debt but she couldn’t. Amanda sees her and alludes that Nimfa’s work is again the office rules. Nimfa then gossips with the other secretaries to get dirt about Amanda and Raul, and she found out that Raul picks her up in an aerobics class. Sabel talks to Raul about her pregnancy, and he suggests abortion Sabel is not happy with the decision. Rose talks to Khris about her debt problems. He suggests on sleeping with wealthy men and that he could set her up with clients. They go clubbing on the same night, and Rose rejects her possible first client. Anne tries to quit in order to save her marriage but her employer informs about her upcoming promotion, she decided to stay. In the aerobics class, Suzanne, Nimfa, and Amanda are in attendance and Sabel is outside. Along with Nimfa, they witness Raul picking up Amanda. Nimfa follows them home where Raul meets Amanda’s mother.
Sabel’s symptoms is starting to interfere with her job, Carla guesses that Sabel is pregnant, and heard about Raul’s decision to abort. She convinces Sabel to make her own decision. Carla attends Roy’s poetry reading but had to leave immediately. While Anne is still being courted by Eddie. She receives her promotion and tells Tony through a phone to which he responds with silence. Nimfa breaks in Raul’s apartment and during an intercourse, she answers the door to reveal her naked body to Amanda. Rose is reprimanded about her piled-up debts in the office which forces her to finally accept Khris’ proposal. Sabel has decided to keep the baby with no strings attached to Raul, but Carla demands for Raul’s accountability, she confronts him to pay child support and tells Sabel to stand up to men. When the senior vice president position is filled by an outsider, Bernie Cordero. Suzanne convinces him to be his new secretary and they start an affair. Amanda confronts Raul about the incident with Nimfa and Raul immediately proposes to her and she accepts. A huge fight breaks out when Anne finally confronts Tony at home, he hunches that Anne sleeps around in the office and Tony moves out of the house. Rose meets her first client, Jun. She introduces herself as “Tess.” On their night out, Rose is violently harassed by Jun. Rose continues sleeping with other men to pay off her debt. In a meeting, Carla is reprimanded when she rejects a loan from a personal friend by Bernie. She receives another sexist remark, this time by Bernie. Anne is congratulated by Rose, Nimfa, Eddie, and Amanda, who also reveals her proposal to Raul, much to Nimfa’s dismay. Rose also meets Max, a wealthy man who she started dating. Crisis rises when Jefferson Yap, Bernie’s personal friend flees with the loan they granted him. Bernie has also resigned because of this, leaving the senior vice president open again for Carla and Raul. When Carla is visited by Roy, she tells him that she doesn’t want any distraction for position, officially breaking up with him. Bernie’s abrupt resignation leaves Suzanne jobless. She calls Danny, a man whom she met in a cocktail party earlier, for a job and he agrees. Nimfa sent two of her male friends to pose as her relatives to Raul and they reveal that she’s pregnant. In the office. Raul suggests for abortion but Nimfa declines and proposes marriage instead. Carla receives the promotion after her previous objections against the loan to Jefferson Yap. Suzanne says goodbye to Sabel before she moves in and flirts with her new boss Prado, but he reprimands her for her secretarial mistakes. Raul receives two beat eggs as a warning from Nimfa’s “relatives.” Max wants to introduce Rose to his family as “pamamanhikan” and Rose tells Khris that she is going to marry Max and wants to retire, they arrange a last meet up with a client. Meanwhile, Suzanne keeps failing at her attempt to seduce Prado, when he asks her out for a dinner with a client and she accepts. At the end of the night, Suzanne kisses Prado but embarrasses herself when her skirt latches on a car door leaving her in her panties, causing Danny to cover her. On the same night, Rose meets Max’s dad who turns out to be her previous last client. Max’s family finds out and leaves Rose crying.
The film ends with; Tony catches Anne with Ed in the office and starts a fight causing Anne to leave the company to save her family. Suzanne gossips to Sabel that she’s in love with her Danny (“Sabel! This must be love!”) but Prado catches her, and he tells her that he is in love with her too. Raul offers ₱10,000 to Nimfa to compensate with being unable to marry her. The deal ends with ₱25,000 and Nimfa happily accepts. Jun catches Rose and they went out on a date. Sabel, suffering from the office bullies, finally stands up for herself. Raul and Amanda got happily married. And Carla smiles on her first meeting as a senior vice president.
Cast[edit]
Main Cast[edit]
- Hilda Koronel as Carla
- Gina Pareño as Nimfa
- Rio Locsin as Sabel
- Chanda Romero as Anne
- Carmi Martin as Suzanne
- Maria Isabel Lopez as Rose
- Baby Delgado as Amanda
Supporting Cast[edit]
- Tommy Abuel as Raul
- Robert Arevalo as Eddie
- Edu Manzao as Danny Prado
- Joel Lamangan as Khris
- Johnny Wilson as Bernie Cordero
- Eddie Arenas as Ric Dalmacio
- Raoul Arasonn as Joey
- Roy Alvarez as Roy
- Gamy Viray as Noel Deputado
- Romeo Rivera as Tony
- Ben Almeda as Cardo
- Chris Michelena as Max
- Robert Campos as Max’s father
- Delis Razon as Amanda’s mother
Sequels[edit]
A sequel entitled "Working Girls 2" is released in 1987 but only Edu Manzano reprised his character. Ishmael Bernal also came back to direct. It is another set of five women working alongside with five men starring Gloria Diaz, Jaclyn Jose, Dang Cecilio, Melanie Marquez, and Dina Bonnevie.[3]
Another sequel is released in 2010 with the same name directed by Jose Javier Reyes, with Gina Pareño, Rio Locsin, Maria Isabel Lopez, and Carmi Martin reprising their characters but as support roles to another set of seven working girls. It stars Eugene Domingo, Ruffa Gutierrez, Iza Calzado, Jennylyn Mercado, Cristine Reyes, Eula Valdez, and Bianca King.[4]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Retro Review: Working Girls". 2021-06-27. Archived from the original on 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
- ↑ Gil, Baby A. "Working Girls, 25 years after". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
- ↑ Entertainment, Inquirer (2016-08-07). "Cinemalaya spotlights Jaclyn Jose". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
- ↑ "Working Girls (2010) sequel pays homage to original '84 film | Guide | PEP.ph: The Number One Site for Philippine Showbiz". 2016-03-25. Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
External links[edit]
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