Till their next screen team-up

STARBYTES By Butch Francisco

Till I Met You had always been one of my favorite songs popularized by Kuh Ledesma.

And now, it is already the title of a movie that features Asia’s Pop Diva in one scene where she plays a character that is the extreme opposite of her sophisticated public image.

The inclusion of Kuh Ledesma in this film – even in that very token role – I thought was a nice touch. And she gave her all in that one scene and it was fun watching her.

Of course, the movie is about Robin Padilla and Regine Velasquez and the story is set in a hacienda in a province south of Manila.

Directed by Mark Reyes, Till I Met You casts Robin as a sort of adopted son of haciendero Eddie Garcia. I say sort of adopted because Robin was never legally adopted by Garcia. He was just left behind as an infant by his mother in the hacienda – with the promise of coming back for him, but apparently she never did. Garcia then raises him like a son and entrusts Robin with everything – including his soon-to-be-gold-digging wife, Regine Velasquez.

In the beginning they hate each other’s guts because Robin is able to smell Regine’s motives even from the start. But as expected, they fall in love and how they resolve their love triangle with Eddie Garcia is the interesting twist at the end of the film.

Till I Met You is a feel good movie to its every core. The setting is idyllic – the production designer saw to that which is why everything is pleasing to the eye in this film: a dream house, a tenant’s home with candy glass and flowers everywhere, sometimes in places that they are not supposed to be.

But along with the lighting, photography and music, the rich production design really helps viewers forget momentarily their problems and focus their attention on the characters on screen in their luxurious setting.

More ideal even is the community where Robin lives. Nobody has a mean bone here. The people are all so nice and not one soul is malicious. They don’t gossip about the closeness of Robin and Regine. Surely, movie talk shows and the scandal sheets won’t make a living out of these people.

Well, some people also get hurt in the story. Regine’s father abandoning her and her mother is painful. But that is cushioned because this part of the story is told in flashback.

But painful – and the viewer feels this – are the heartaches of Robin and Regine because of their forbidden love. It pinches your heart to see them helpless and almost unable to express their feelings for each other. And then there’s the pain of Eddie Garcia.

Till I Met You may have been designed as a feel-good movie, but it also touches your heart and makes you rethink about life.

Extremely crucial here is the presence of Robin Padilla and Regine Velasquez and their scenes together work well. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see their previous film together. Not till I saw Till I Met You did I realize what wonderful chemistry they have – and I’d want to see more of that.

Till their next screen team-up.