Since ‘One More Chance’ came out nearly 10 years ago, John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo as Popoy and Basha have become one of the most iconic pairings in the history of Philippine cinema.
So, chances are you’ve seen ‘A Second Chance’ over the weekend.
This much-awaited sequel continues to follow Popoy and Basha’s journey from blissfully married couple to their struggles with that “7-year itch”.
In the film, we see a deeper kind of love, one that’s been tried and tested by life’s expected unpredictability.
But what we found most interesting about the film was how it complexified what constitutes “infidelity”.
Keeping secrets
In the film, they begin building their dream life: buying their own plot of land, starting their dream business and trying to have a baby.
But all these plans start to crumble as life throws them curve ball after curve ball: Basha loses the baby, an architect cons them causing a building to collapse and with it their company’s reputation.
For the two years that Basha decides to stay home, Popoy struggles to keep their business afloat.
As they plunge deeper into debt, he keeps all of this from Basha (she finds out later on in the film).
This causes them to stop communicating and in turn, Basha starts to conjure up this belief that maybe it’s something she’s doing wrong.
Read: 10 marriage red flags Filipino couples should watch out for!
On the next page, we learn more about what the film taught us about infidelity…
Not trusting your spouse
This caused resentment to build up within Basha every time Popoy would snap at her because of the most inane things (like spending a tad too much on new sheets, plates and glasses).
When Basha takes over many projects just to keep their business afloat, she unknowingly excludes Popoy and makes him feel small.
She does so unintentionally and she isn’t even aware that this makes him feel she doesn’t trust him.
Not admitting when you need help
Pride is a common character flaw of Popoy. This caused him to stop communicating his feelings and failings.
He wanted to make his wife happy, yes. But this came at the expense of making her feel unwanted and excluded from his life.
The dramatic climax of the film is when Popoy starts to tell Basha what he’s been repressing for the past two years. He fears being viewed as a failure. It was a simple and powerful moment which showed that there will be times when we simply need to humble ourselves to save our relationship.
On the next page, find out why resentment counts as infidelity…
Resenting your spouse for your own choices
Embracing “what ifs” instead of “what is” tends to lead to resentment and regret. When Popoy gets offered the job he gave up for Basha 7 years ago, he starts to entertain thoughts of what could have been.
When you cling to regrets instead of being grateful for what you have, you end up taking your life and marriage for granted.
In the end, they come to the realization that though their life isn’t what they expected it to be, it turned out to be something better, and though everything around them may be crumbling, they will always come home to each other.
Read: Couples beware: Here are 3 types of infidelity other than sex!
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