Sigrid Andrea Bernardo takes Andrea Brillantes, JC Santos and Anthony Jennings to Oslob for a drama-thriller about grief, guilt and revenge.
Andrea Brillantes goes into deep water in Laya, a drama-thriller from the production company Rein Entertainment that opens in Philippine cinemas on November 25, 2026. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo directs, with JC Santos and Anthony Jennings in the cast. The first teaser dropped in May, and its tagline sets the tone: “Hold your breath as the truth waits in the deepest waters.”
A Drifter and an Ex-Convict
The story follows a young woman who moves from place to place, carrying anger over her father’s early death. Along the way she meets a lonely ex-criminal who is also weighed down by his past, and whose story may be tied to hers.
The teaser fills in a few pieces. It opens on Brillantes’ character swimming in the ocean, and then a gunshot is heard. She offers Santos’ character a ride home, and he tells her he was charged with murder. Later she talks about revenge with Jennings’ character. The film has been described as a thriller, a psychological drama and a revenge film, and the teaser leaves room for all three.
Brillantes Goes Darker
Her character is written as sensual, mysterious and emotionally distant, which sits far from the playful, kikay (girly, into fashion and makeup) image Brillantes built through Kadenang Ginto, Senior High, High Street and A Secret in Prague. Laya adds to her run of more mature, layered roles after years of romance and youth-oriented stories.
A Reunion Behind the Camera
Bernardo’s films include Kita Kita (2017), Mr. and Mrs. Cruz (2018), Under Parallel Skies (2024) and I’mPerfect (2025). JC Santos starred in Mr. and Mrs. Cruz, so Laya brings the director and her leading man back together. Jennings rounds out the main cast as the man Brillantes’ character talks revenge with in the teaser.
Shot in Oslob
The film was shot in Oslob, on the southern coast of Cebu. The story is placed against the sea and the whale sharks the town is known for, and it deals with freedom, escape and emotional heaviness. The title says as much: laya is the Filipino word for freedom. The ocean opens the teaser and the tagline, and the setting was clearly chosen with that in mind.
Laya opens in cinemas nationwide on November 25, 2026. International distribution is handled by KC Global Media Distribution, an Asia-based media and distribution company.