The girls with ‘sosy problems’ Heart, Solenn, Rhian & Bianca

MANILA, Philippines - In our â€œBayang Magiliw” where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, not everyone is created equal. There’s the lowly working class “masa, isang kahig isang tuka,” and at the other end of the social strata is the rich “sosyal” ones who are actually the minority.

The “sosyal” class is the subject of satirical humor in director Andoy Ranay’s Metro Manila Film Festival entry, Sosy Problems, the lone “sophisticated” comedy among the eight entries. It was first titled Conyo Problems but this was disapproved because the word conyo in Spanish has an obscene connotation, so it was changed to Sosy Problems.

“Sosy” comes from the word sosyal, a derogatory word that makes fun of vain and pretentious people trying to show that they’re high-class and the opposite of the hoi polloi in this third world country of ours. They also speak in Taglish (Tagalog-English).

As such, the movie is a comic satire on the foibles and the pretenses of these people who try hard to be very sosyal or sosy. For instance, when you see someone wearing designer clothes or with designer shoes and bags, you go: “Uy, you’re so sosy” or “Sosing-sosy ka naman.”

Heart Evangelista feels lucky to head the main cast of Sosy Problems, which also includes Solenn Heussaff, Rhian Ramos and Bianca King. â€œI like my role as Claudia, daughter of a former beauty queen, who is a model, part-time actress, TV host and forever on a diet kasi tamad mag-exercise,” Heart says.

Looks like the peg for her character is Isabelle Daza, daughter of former Bb. Universe Gloria Diaz. We heard Isabelle herself was considered for the movie but she got busy shooting a film with John Lloyd Cruz for Star Cinema.

“My best friend in Sosy Problems is Solenn Heussaff, who’s really a good friend of Isabelle in real life,” adds Heart. “We have a love-hate relationship and secret rivalry as we’re both fashionistas at kailangan, kung ano meron yung isa, meron din yung isa. We will fight over Aljur Abrenica, a hunky lifeguard-handyman, whom we both fancy.”

In real life, Heart seems to be lucky in both love and career as her romance with Sen. Chiz Escudero is also doing well. How does she feel about their big age gap and the accusation that he’s just using her for his political career since he’s running for re-election? “About his being older, it is okay. I learn so much from him as he’s more mature than me in so many ways. And I don’t think he’s using me for his political career. He’s No. 1 in surveys; he doesn’t have to use anyone.”

Solenn is leaving 2012 with a wide smile. “It’s been a very good year for me,” she says. “On TV, I became a co-host in Eat Bulaga, I hosted Taste Buddies with Isabelle Daza and Fashbook on GMA News TV, was part of Legacy, Bubble Gang and Party Pilipinas. And now, I’m in Indio with Sen. Bong Revilla. On the big screen, I was in Boy Pick Up and D’Kilabots, and now I have a filmfest entry, Sosy Problems, and I’m also shooting Seduction with Richard Gutierrez for Regal, to be shown in late January 2013. I’m so busy and I love it.”

Solenn plays Margaux in Sosy Problems. “My mom is a former beauty queen who married the French ambassador kaya sosyal ang family ko sa movie, we speak French, just like in real life.”

And how’s her Argentinian boyfriend, Nico Balzico? “He’s okay. Always very supportive, but he doesn’t want to watch my kissing and sexy scenes. We plan to go visit Argentina this New Year. We’ll leave after Sosy Problems has opened in theaters and return mid-January.”

Rhian describes current BF, KC Montero, as a boyfriend from heaven compared to her previous one who’s apparently a boyfriend from hell after the ordeal she went through with him. She says KC is perfect and he’s her best gift this Christmas.

“Some kind of cosmic magic happened and my life became perfect,” she says. “My love life is great right now. My career is great right now. There’s really nothing more I could ask for. KC is the kind of person who makes an effort to get along well with my family and I appreciate it. He even accompanied my dad to the recent fight of Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas kasi busy ako shooting for Sosy Problems kaya hindi ako makaalis. He really brought a positive energy into my life and it’s much lighter now. I have nothing to worry about. That’s the difference. In the past, I always had something to worry about, now I don’t. Like I can do my job with any leading man and there’s no problem. It is just so peaceful.”

In Sosy Problems, Rhian plays Lizzie, the richest member of their barkada. â€œMy family owns hotels that is why we’re really super rich. I get what I want and I feel that the world revolves around me. I also have my own business like a clothing line, a jewelry line and a perfume all named after me. Sosyal talaga. Dahil dito kinaiinggitan ako ng friends ko, like Bianca who’s poor but pretends to be rich. I’m sure viewers would have a good laugh watching our hilarious shenanigans in the film.”

Bianca is the only member of the cast who’s loveless at the moment, having just broken up with Dennis Trillo. She’s glad that Heart, Rhian and Solenn were on hand to console her while she’s nursing a broken heart. She even went with Solenn to Paris for a short vacation. She’s mum on the reason why they broke up and simply says that she’ll just reveal it when she writes her autobiography.

“Basta I’m glad we had so much fun shooting Sosy Problems,” says Bianca. “We really bonded and we share secrets. I play Danielle, the poorest girl in the group. My dad is a congressman but he’s been jailed for corruption so naghirap na sila, but I pretend to be still rich so I can keep up with my sosy friends.”

The powerhouse cast of Sosy Problems includes Ruffa Gutierrez, Mikael Daez, Benjamin Alves, Roderick Paulate, Cherie Gil, Agot Isidro, Mylene Dizon and Robert Arevalo.