Secrets is a 2022 Filipino erotic thriller film written and directed by Jose Javier Reyes and starring Janelle Tee, Felix Roco, Denise Esteban and Benz Sangalang. About a young couple (Tee and Sangalang) who travel to a secluded beach house and encounter trouble when the girlfriend's nephew (Roco) arrives from the Middle East,[1] the film was produced by Viva Films and LargaVista Entertainment and released on the streaming platform Vivamax on June 10, 2022.
In 2021, Viva Communications launched its streaming platform Vivamax, a site where a large portion of original content being offered are sexploitation films and series to serve as its "differentiator" from other streaming services.[2]
Filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes decided in 2022 to make Secrets for Vivamax, with the encouragement of director Joel Lamangan, to challenge himself in working on a "very tense, very sexual" story that other producers might not be willing to finance, stating that "it is sensitive to make a film in Vivamax and if I were to make a film like that, I want it to be different."[3] He also cited the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing landscape of the film industry as some of the reasons he decided to direct a film for a streaming platform.[3]
Actress Janelle Tee was continuously fed on set by Reyes after he noticed her large appetite.[4] Actor Felix Roco was hesitant about doing nude scenes for the film, stating that he accepted the role "[b]ecause I want to work.... in reality, I was getting nervous [to do the nude scene], but I did not want to stall the shooting. I just did it so that it can be finished already."[5]
^Carvajal, Dolly Anne (April 30, 2022). "Vivamax's success story". Inquirer Entertainment. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved September 17, 2022. [Vincent]: It's a misconception that VM's content is mostly sexy films. We also have many wholesome movies. Our adult content is the differentiator. It's edgier than the sexy scenes in TV shows.
^Santiago, Ervin (June 2, 2022). "Felix Roco ayaw talagang maghubo't hubad sa 'Secrets': I just did it para matapos na kaagad" [Felix Roco really does not want to be naked and bare in 'Secrets': I just did it so that it can be finished already]. Bandera (in Filipino and English). The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2023. Actually, sa totoo lang, kinakabahan din ako, pero ayoko lang mag-stall ng shooting. I just did it para matapos lang kaagad.
