‘Love You Long Time’

Eisel Serrano (left) and Carlo Aquino in “Love You Long Time”

(We are running this guide to help you plan your summer moviegoing activity. The 1st Summer Metro Manila Film Festival runs from April 8 to 18)

Directed by JP Habac; written by Gena Tenaja; starring Carlo Aquino, Eisel Serrano, Anna Abad Santos, Meanne Espinosa, Juan Miguel Severo, Arlene Muhlach and Patrick Quiroz; produced by Studio Three Sixty

A young romance screenwriter (Serrano) suffers her biggest heartbreak causing her to hit a brick wall with her writing until she meets and falls in love with a mysterious guy (Aquino) through an old push-to-talk phone.

The movie is set in Baguio City and Atok, Benguet.

“This is a beautiful story,” said Aquino when asked what he would tell regular patrons of the MMFF in order to convince them to watch the movie. “Besides, if we are able to patronize foreign films by watching them at the cinemas, why not give the same support to a product that’s from us and that’s made with so much love? We hope the Filipino audience will give this one a chance.”

Serrano added: “We tried our very best to develop chemistry, even though what we have is a new romantic pairing. If you’d just give it a try, you will see how beautifully made this film is. Also, it’s not the usual story where we already know the ending even before we sit down to watch it. This film offers one twist after another.”