A May-December affair in ‘Just a Stranger’
Anne Curtis and Marco Gumabao go intimate in the romantic drama, “Just a Stranger.” Written and directed by Jason Paul Laxamana (“The Day After Valentine’s,” “100 Tula Para Kay Stella”), the story revolves around a married woman who gets into an affair with a man half her age despite her nagging conscience that one day they might pay for it.
Mae Pimentel (Anne) is in her mid-30s. Though stricken with an illness called fibromyalgia, Mae is not wanting in material things and can go on a leisure trip anywhere she wants. Her husband Phil (Edu Manzano), a businessman, doesn’t seem to mind as he has very little time for her. It is while vacationing in the flamboyant city of Lisbon, Portugal that this fashionable lady meets Jericho.
Jericho “Jekjek” Esguerra (Marco) is a 19-year-old son of a Philippine Ambassador. He is oozing with sex appeal and charming personality, but lacking in maturity. To help him have a sense of responsibility, his father tells him to find a job. Jericho is not excited about working, but out of respect for his parents Rufi and Judy (Robert Seña and Isay Alvarez), he obeys their demands. He has a girlfriend named Febbie (Jas Rodriguez), but meeting Mae makes his life more exciting.
The trailer already gives a hint of the numerous steamy scenes between Anne and Marco, but Laxamana points out that the film was not created to romanticize illicit affairs. This drama will delve deeper into the personal stories of the characters to show the reasons behind their actions. It is interesting to know if despite their liaison, Mae and Jericho can stick to this principle: “Not your friend. Not your lover. Just a stranger.”
It is said that the idea of doing a May-December affair love story has long been considered by Anne, but it is only now that the right material came along. The awardwinning actress has shown her versatility by doing action (“BuyBust”) and mystery thriller (“Aurora”), but it can’t be disregarded that her career prospered while doing romantic drama movies (“Baler,” “In Your Eyes,” “No Other Woman,” “A Secret Affair”). After the box office hit “Sid & Aya,” it’s great that viewers will get to see Anne going back to her roots – the romance-drama genre.
“Just a Stranger,” from VIVA Films, opens in cinemas nationwide on August 21.