Debut: Reality Television Is A Nightmare In The Dark Comedy ‘Primetime Mother’

The phenomenon of reality television continues to grow stranger and increasingly exploitative by the year. Current series, such as Netflix’s The Ultimatum or the unfortunate MILF Manor on TLC, have become mainstays on television screens across the globe – often at a cost. The Philippines, where Primetime Mother is set, is no stranger to these bizarre programs. The short imagines a world where a fictional television program, My Amazing Mama, has taken the country by storm. The series features three “mamas” competing head-to-head to determine who is the best mama overall and worthy of winning a grand prize of 50,000 pesos.

Getting on My Amazing Mama is nearly an impossible feat in itself; the mothers must camp out for days, waiting for even a sliver of a chance to compete on the show. The producers open a door at random, and only the first seven mamas through are picked. The battle only begins here, however, as the seven mamas must now compete to determine which three will make it onto the actual show. What follows is an intense audition process, where the short’s main character, Minda, realizes she is in way over her head.

The narrative’s unnerving elements shine once the competition kicks off. All the mothers are desperate to compete on the show, doing anything to make their dreams a reality. The producers bark demands at the women, all of whom except Minda listen without question; they fake cry, wail at the cameras, and put on a debacle of a show.

All of this is undeniably hilarious, but equally disheartening. The women are treated in a subhuman manner; every part of their being is now exploited in the name of financial gain and mindless entertainment. The show is anything but a joke to them, as they are competing for a life-changing amount of money. Minda, for example, is competing for her sick son, whose medical bills are devastatingly expensive.

This is what makes the short so special. It interweaves humor and tragedy to convey its message: reality television has crossed a line and is far too exploitative. Television channels are constantly finding new ways to subvert ethical boundaries with their reality shows. Contestants, like the mamas, have predisposed ideas of what their experiences on the shows will look like. False promises are made to paint the shows as a paradise, when they are often the opposite.

Amid the calamity, Minda is the only source of sanity. She is clearly uncomfortable with the artificiality, which fails to align with the vision of the show she had in her head. The short even opens with a dream in Minda’s mind, where she envisions My Amazing Mama as a life-saving paradise when, in reality, it is a nightmare. The public has been desensitized to unethical programming, and Primetime Mother is a rare example of it being discussed unabashedly in the media.

Director Sonny Calvento’s vision is consistent throughout the short, and his message is crystal clear. Audiences laugh and gawk at the people on their screens, failing to realize they are actual humans, not characters. We see these people at their lowest, like the mothers, who make fools of themselves, all for a small chance to win the prize. Unfortunately, the problems in reality television are reflective of the current state of the world, which is not just an issue in the Philippines but a global one.

As the competition continues to heat up and only four mothers remain, Minda stays standing strong, but her guard begins to fall. She engages in the producers’ antics more fervently, no longer keeping the show at a distance. The mamas' final task is to compete in a dance-off, performing the same routine on repeat until only three mothers remain. Minda dives headfirst into her performance, going as far as to hop up onto a podium in the center of the stage, losing herself completely. She dances as if she’s being controlled, and it is clear she has finally fallen into the producers’ trap.

Eventually, all of the other mothers collapse, and Minda is the final one standing. The short ends with Minda being transported back to her imagined paradise of My Amazing Mama from the opening. The scenery around her is beautiful: there is a bright color filter, a gorgeous animated background, and butterfly overlays. Except this time she’s trapped; all of this is superficial, and the glossy surface hides the sinister nature of the show beneath it.

Minda bangs on the screen, desperate to escape, until finally she shatters the screen and the short ends. This ending is smart and works in tandem with the short’s themes. Reality television’s constant subversion of ethical guidelines consistently ruins people’s lives. While the short conveys this rather simplistically, it is effective, and the world it builds feels authentic to actual reality television. The short’s originality works to its advantage, especially with the oddball ensemble of performances. Each of the mamas puts on a highly entertaining show and matches the absurdity of the fictional reality show with ease. With the current trajectory of television, it would be no surprise if My Amazing Mama found its way to television screens in the near future.