18th Rose
Philippine coming-of-age film
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18th Rose is a 2026 Philippine coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by Dolly Dulu from a screenplay he co-wrote with John Carlo Pacala. The film stars Xyriel Manabat in her first leading role in a feature film, and Kyle Echarri.[2]
- Dolly Dulu
- John Carlo Pacala
- Omar Sortijas
Cast
- Xyriel Manabat[3] as Rose
- Kyle Echarri[3] as Jordan
- Nikki Valdez as Tess
- Cris Villanueva as Rene
- Yayo Aguila as Mercy
- Cai Cortez as Berta
- Donna Cariaga as Ms. Melai
- Kira Balinger as Mara
- VJ Mendoza as Gibo
- Timothy Castillo as Samgi
- Kenken Nuyad as Toni
- Felicity Kyle Napuli as Gela
- Steven Cadd as Ewan
- Chantei Cortez as Rufa
- Johnrick Noynay as Bitoy
- Lyle Viray as Dimaguiba
- Tuesday Vargas as Contest Judge
- RS Francisco as Contest Judge
- Benedix Ramos as Star Seekers Host
Production
Netflix officially disclosed the film as part of its "Next on Netflix Philippines" 2026 slate during a press event on February 9, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt Manila.[4][5][6] Dolly Dulu was announced as the director of the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with John Carlo Pacala, with Xyriel Manabat and Kyle Echarri in the lead. Principal photography took place over the course of one month in Romblon,[7][8] a location chosen to highlight the province's "lesser-seen parts".[9] According to Dulu, the early 2000s setting was based on his personal experiences growing up in the era, citing the "simpler" nature of life and romance prior to the presence of social media.[9][10] To prepare for their roles, Manabat and Echarri underwent chemistry workshops to develop their romantic rapport and on-screen dynamic.[11]
Manabat described her character in the film as "light" and "free spirited". She noted that she and co-star Echarri began filming with a playful dynamic, before gradually settling into the more serious tone required for their characters.[12] Echarri was all praise towards co-star Manabat who said in part, "when we go to the set, we don't read the script until we get to the cameras. And when we get to the set, we change all the lines."[13]
Release
Reception
Viewership
18th Rose was met with praises from viewers and quickly rose to number two on Netflix's top 10 movies in the Philippines.[16] Later that week, the film debuted at number seven on Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English Movies chart with 1.7 million viewership during the week of 6â12 April 2026.[17] The film slipped to number nine the following week, 13â19 April 2026, gaining a further 1.4 million viewership worldwide on its second week on the chart.[18]
Critical response
Writing for ABS-CBN, Fred Hawson remarked that the film "followed a very familiar rom-com formula" with a "melodramatic subject matter" that he didn't particularly like but was carried by the "unexpected chemistry" of the lead actors.[19]