At the special UAE screening of A Werewolf Boy in Star Cinemas, Al Ghurair Centre, Dubai on January 27, 2026. EXPAT MEDIA

If you’ve been craving something Filipino on the big screen in the UAE, then this one’s for you. A Werewolf Boy is now showing in selected cinemas in the UAE until February 4, making it one of the very few Filipino films to get a theatrical run here in recent months. That alone already makes it worth noticing. Expat Media was invited to a special UAE screening at Star Cinemas, Al Ghurair Centre, on January 27, and walking into that cinema honestly felt like opening a Kinder Surprise egg. You never really know what you’re going to get, but that unpredictability is half the fun. I’ll admit it: I haven’t been back to the cinema much lately, so this screening doubled as both a work assignment and an excuse to actually sit in a cinema chair again, popcorn in hand, supporting the arts like a responsible adult. The UAE premiere drew familiar faces from the Filipino community, including former Philippine Business Council chairman Edwin Duria, Rose 'N Butterfly entrepreneurs Erna Magbanua and Ma Theresa Gohing, and local artists like Dumbo the Comedian and Elton Cosinero Lipanta. It felt intimate, warm, and very OFW-moment. Now, onto the film. Directed by Crisanto Aquino, A Werewolf Boy is a Filipino adaptation of the 2012 South Korean hit by Jo Sung-hee, reimagined for a local audience. Produced by Viva Films and Studio Viva, this Filipino take on a beloved Korean story stars Rabin Angeles as the feral, mysterious “Boy” and Angela Muji as Sara, with Lorna Tolentino playing the older Sara. Supporting roles include Candy Pangilinan as Sara’s mother (bless her comic timing) and Albie Casiño as Juancho, the arrogant suitor we’re clearly meant to side-eye. The opening scene immediately grabs your attention: a wild-eyed scientist in a lab gown, a bucket of what looks like suspicious meat, barking dogs, and a heavily locked barn in the dead of night. Just as things get properly creepy, the scientist clutches his chest and collapses. Cue: a hairy hand with Wolverine-level claws scratching from behind the door. At this point, our Expat Media CEO leaned over and whispered that she might leave. “I don’t think I got enough sleep last night to power through if this turns into a full-on horror film,” she said. Fair. Thankfully, as the story unfolds, A Werewolf Boy quickly softens into something else: part fantasy, part romance, and occasionally, unexpectedly funny. Pangilinan does what she does best, delivering comedic relief that gently reassures you: relax, this isn’t that kind of werewolf movie. The film then jumps decades forward. An older Sara, now living in a beautiful home somewhere in Greece, receives an urgent letter from the Philippines. She returns to her childhood home, and the story slips into flashback to her younger self and her first encounter with Boy. Think Mowgli energy, but make it chaotic. This Boy snarls, eats like a maniac, and has absolutely no concept of human behaviour. Sara befriends him and quite literally trains him using a dog training book. “You’re a good boy,” she tells him, patting his head. Yes. That actually happens. A lot. The chemistry between Rabin and Angela, dubbed “RabGel” by fans, is central to the film. Both impress here by relying almost entirely on physical acting and emotion, proving they can do more than just look good on screen. The film runs for 1 hour and 25 minutes, and while it moves quickly, I’ll be honest: I kept waiting for the plot to fully bite. There's constant surveillance after the secret military experiment cover is blown, and yet the moment a power outage happens, not a single soldier is guarding the cabin where Boy is locked up and freed by a scheming Juancho. Later, Juancho snatches a gun from a soldier and then waves it around, threatening Sara and Boy, and the soldiers and everyone else is just… standing there. At some point, I had to tell myself: This is fantasy. Float with it. And to be fair, that’s where A Werewolf Boy succeeds. It leans heavily into the idea that extraordinary love stories linger, even when logic doesn’t. The film was first released in the Philippines on January 14, and is now screening in the UAE at Vox Cinemas (BurJuman and City Centre Deira) and Star Cinemas (Al Ghurair Centre, Al Wahda Mall, and Al Ain Mall) until February 4. Now, be a good boy (or girl) and watch it. PIA/Expat Media
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