‘GRADE SEX’ is about the high price of success. It’s about a graduating high school student in a Catholic school, Melissa (Ataska), who is pressured by her parents (Jao Mapa and Maui Taylor) to be their class valedictorian.
Melissa is a nerdy looking young woman and her biggest rival is Bernadette (Apple Garcia), her classmate whose edge is that she’s very active in the school’s extra curricular activities.
The school’s CAT office, Gringo (Aerol Carmelo), is so in love with Melissa and she uses him to ruin Bernadette’s reputation.
They get an A.I. expert to come up with a sex video involving Bernadette and then they circulated it online. The scandal causes Bernadette’s downfall. And not only that, unscrupulous guys then abduct her and rape her.
Melissa agrees to give sexual favors to Gringo, in exchange for what he has done for her.
But the video expert reveals the truth to their school principal, Mr. Dizon (Chester Grecia), a sexual predator who takes advantage of the teachers in their school. He blackmails Melissa and she also gives in to his sexual advances.
A snatcher steals the school bag of Gringo while he’s walking on the street. It turns out he has secretly videotaped his sexual tryst with Melissa in his cellphone and this was uploaded online by whoever stole his bag.
It was so shameful and devastating for Melissa and the episode’s climax shows her going on the top floor of their school with plans of jumping to her death.
But first, she delivers her valedictory address, asking for everyone’s forgiveness and saying she actually just wants better acceptance for herself.
Will she jump or will they succeed in restraining her from her attempt to kill herself?
Written by Roni Benaid and directed by Roman Perez Jr., the film’s significant life lesson is delivered clearly at the end of the episode: that ambition can be toxic if it is too much and beyond reason.
This is former wholesome singer-teen star Ataska’s most daring performance since she went sexy with Vivamax in films like “Bugaw” and “Bisyo”. She has nude love scenes with Aerol Mercado (twice) and with Chester Grecia.
She did them both with aplomb. But she also acquits herself in the acting department. She’s quite credible as the seemingly innocent but actually scheming teener with mischief on her mind.
She also handles credibly her tearful final scene where she gains redemption, with her full of repentance and remorse for her misdeeds.