5 things to know about ‘Five Breakups and a Romance”

Everyone has probably seen the trailer of Alden Richards and Julia Montes locked in a passionate kiss in Irene Villamor's upcoming romantic-drama Five Breakups and a Romance. The movie will hit local theaters on 18 October, and to those unfamiliar with the hype surrounding the movie, here are five things to feed your curiosity.

1. The love story follows Lance (Richards) and Justine (Montes), a couple who meet in Singapore. Justine is based in Singapore, while Lance is merely visiting. The complicated arrangement is the chief conflict of the drama, with the official trailer asking the audience, "How long should you try before you give up on love?"

The movie is also the first collaboration between GMA Pictures, Cornerstone Studios and Richards' company MYRIAD Corporation. According to a 24 Oras report back in May, the film was shot in 13 days.

2. This is Richards and Montes' first movie pairing, and the trailer is sizzling with chemistry between the duo. Richards was last seen on the big screen pre-pandemic as the lead actor in the 2019 blockbuster Hello, Love, Goodbye opposite Kathryn Bernardo, where he showcased his impressive dramatic chops. The movie was directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina.

Meanwhile, Montes' last full-length feature film was the 2016 indie family drama Padre de Familia, where she starred with Nora Aunor and Coco Martin. It was directed by Adolfo Alix Jr.

3. The film was written and directed by Irene Emma Villamor. If her name sounds familiar, then you must have known her as the captain behind a series of beautifully lensed "hugot" films such as Sid & Aya: Not A Love Story (2018), Meet Me in St. Gallen (2018), Ulan (2019), and On Vodka, Beer, and Regrets (2020). She is also behind the hit 2016 film Camp Sawi.

4. The movie played a significant role in the lives of Richards and Montes. At a recent presscon, the pair became emotional, admitting how the project was instrumental in forging a deep friendship between them and how their working relationships healed them.

Said Richards, his voice faltering: "The three of us (along with Montes and Villamor) weren't in a good place when we started doing the movie. This film has done something in our lives. It changed us and made us stronger."

5. A brief backgrounder on the real relationship status of the lead stars: Richards, 31, has been linked to Wynwyn Marquez and Julie Anne Santos in the past, but is currently single. At a recent guesting in Fast Talk With Boy Abunda, Richards admitted that he fell in love with long-time former loveteam partner Maine Mendoza.

Montes, 28, has been in a longtime relationship with Coco Martin. The two began dating in 2011, but it was only in May 2023, 12 years later, that Martin publicly confirmed their relationship. Montes and Martin worked together in the series Walang Hanggan in 2012.