Several made-for-streaming Filipino films have been released this 2025. It’s an exciting development for the Philippines’ long-struggling cinematic industry, even if these films aren’t so great… and, well, they haven’t been. So far, they’ve ranged from atrocious (Four Bad Boys and Me, free to stream on YouTube) to cute but bland (One Hit Wonder comes to mind).

On 11th September, Kontrabida Academy premiered on Netflix. Do we finally have a great made-for-streaming Filipino film in our hands? Not quite. Not yet. But this campy comedy about a young restaurant worker who enrols in a school for soap opera villains is certainly good. While it falls short of greatness, it’s a much-needed step in the right direction.

Kontrabida Academy stars Barbie Forteza as Gigi, a 20something assistant manager. Without a doubt, the film’s best asset is its compelling, relatable main character. Her boss, Jingo, is toxic and verbally abusive. Her boyfriend of seven years, Abet, has been cheating on her. She has an irresponsible, immature mum who acts more like a needy child than a parent. Any young adult watching Academy is sure to identify with at least one of her mounting problems and her anger simmering deep within.

When a magical telly transports Gigi to a soap opera land, the allure of being a kontrabida (villain) is understandable. She’s fed up and frustrated. You, the viewer, probably are too. In soap land, the villains are stylish, cool, and never afraid to go for what they want or stand up for themselves. So why not become a villain?

After signing a contract with top villain Mauricia (Eugene Domingo), Gigi enrols in the titular Kontrabida Academy. The ensuing academic year is a delight to watch. Seasoned Filipino actors who have previously portrayed some of the Philippines’ most iconic cinematic villains bring the professors to life. The classes themselves are very funny, blatantly satirising Filipino soap opera conventions.

It feels a little bit like a parody of 2022’s The School For Good and Evil too, also a Netflix original. The film trades Good and Evil‘s lavish, Art Nouveau-inspired visuals for a far more lighthearted tone and a narrative grounded in the real-world struggles of Gen Z adults. Academy‘s bold humour and realism work, but both films unfortunately share one massive problem: a lack of time.

Good and Evil had a runtime of two hours and 27 minutes; Academy lasts for almost two hours. Yet, despite their length, both flicks stuff too many interesting bits into what should really be multi-episode television programmes. For instance, we only get an hour of Gigi embracing villain mode before the story predictably softens her character again. What a waste of the buildup and Forteza’s evil laugh.

In terms of writing, every other character sorely pales in comparison to Gigi. Her love interest Arnaldo (Jameson Blake) suffers from this the most. The dimpled Blake is charismatic and admirably manages to create endearing, organic romantic chemistry with Forteza despite his role’s paper-thin characterisation. But is that enough?

Academy boasts uniformly fantastic performances, like Xyriel Manabat as Mimi, Mauricia’s “seductive daughter.” (In every scene where Mimi appears or mentioned, she is always described as the “seductive daughter/sister.” It’s hilarious.) However, by the end of the film, you’ll be left feeling like you were handed a plate of tiny, bite-sized treats. Tasty, but dissatisfying.

The film’s messy final act lands the final blow. It attempts to channel Wicked with its “Nobody is purely good or bad” message. It’s a valid and interesting message, especially paired with the film’s commentary towards the antiquated, rigid moral binaries often espoused by Filipino soap operas. However, Academy tries to tie its loose ends far too neatly, with clumsy execution that isn’t half as engaging as the first hour.

It’s also worth mentioning that the film unfortunately has bursts of the same outdated ideals that it’s supposedly subverting. For example, Arnaldo believes in sexual “modesty” as a mark of a good woman and praises Gigi for not being able to give him a lap dance. She never goes beyond a sliver of bare midriff in one scene and some bright red lipstick, but this is apparently all very slutty behaviour and a sign of villainous brainwashing. We never see Arnaldo shed his soap land beliefs; he is presented as uncritically good from start to finish.

Academy is also pretty colourist. All of the lead characters who are meant to be desirable and sympathetic, are portrayed by actors who are pale-skinned and look (or are) mixed. Meanwhile, the brown-skinned, native-looking Eugene Domingo portrays the main villain Mauricia, who has no redeeming qualities. Perhaps you could say that this is a critique towards actual Filipino soaps’ colourist casting choices, but this same pattern can be found in the real-world scenes too.

In fact, in one of the film’s highlights, Gigi confronts Abet in a restaurant. She shames her ex’s other woman Peachy (Myrtle Sarrosa) in front of everyone by showing them photos of the latter before she underwent cosmetic procedures. In the “before” photo, where Peachy was supposedly hideous and looked like a “Neanderthal,” she had noticeably darker skin.

Still, Academy is a Filipino film based on an ambitious original idea. As a Netflix title, it’s globally accessible. It has a romantic subplot, but focuses on Gigi’s journey. Again, it’s a step in the right direction, an adult fairytale for our times. It’s technically well-made; for one, its sound engineering is notches above the typical Filipino movie’s. It’s fun and witty too, with lots of hilarious moments. One can hope that Philippine cinema only goes up from here, and preferably with less colourism and slut-shaming.

Kontrabida Academy is out now on Netflix.