‘Siargao’

Jericho Rosales in “Siargao”

(We are running this guide to help moviegoers plan their holiday cinema tour. The 43rd Metro Manila Film Festival runs from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2018.)

Directed by Paul Soriano; stars Jericho Rosales, Erich Gonzales, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Will Devaughn, Suzette Ranillo, Luke Landrigan, Enchong Dee

Jaded rocker (Rosales) returns to his roots, an island paradise in the south. As he reunites with his small-town sweetheart (Curtis-Smith), he falls for a city girl (Gonzales) on a holiday, too.

Soriano says that Rosales is a true-blue surfer.

“When I told Jericho about this story, there was a lot of discussion…because if he was going to get involved, he wanted to put his soul into it,” the director recalls.

Jericho Rosales (left) and Erich Gonzales in “Siargao”

Gonzales ended up with cuts and bruises while taking a crash course on surfing. Still, she treasures the experience.

“We were in Siargao for over a month,” she recounts. “I felt so lucky because we got to stay in one of the most beautiful destinations in the country. It was like work and vacation rolled into one. We were one big, happy family there.”—BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.