CHARACTER SKETCH

Gabriel (Robin Padilla) - He is a poor orphan boy who grew up under the care of rich "biyudo" haciendero Señor Manuel. Señor Manuel has his main business in Manila and he lets Gabriel take care of his hacienda everytime he is away. He has complete trust in Gabriel and Gabriel is very loyal to and very protective of him.

Gabriel is a mans man. He is a "cowboy" who is looked up to by the towns people. He is also a "lady-killer" but he is not a chick-boy.

Luisa (Regine Velasquez) - She is a con-artist who has lost faith in love. She has gone through too many hardships in life that she has become jaded and self-centered. She also longs for the "rich" life that is why she has agreed to marry Señor Manuel.

She is a spunky girl who is very street smart.

Señor Manuel (Eddie Garcia) - A very rich old man who after his wife died, has lived under the clouds of loneliness. Until he met Luisa who he sincerely fell in love with and treated with utmost respect.

He is wise and full of wisdom.

SYNOPSIS

Luisa is a con artist who poses as a rich girl to Señor Manuel who is an Haciendero. Señor Manuel falls in love with her and takes her to his hacienda in preparation for their wedding.

There, she meets Gabriel - the right hand man of Señor Manuel who is very protective of the haciendero. Sensing that Luisa is a fake and is only after Señor Manuels money, Gabriel tries to blow Luisas cover.

However, in the process, Gabriel finds himself falling for Luisa and vice versa. They become torn between their loyalty to the old man and their love for each other.

In the meantime Señor Manuel senses what is happening between the two people he values most in his life.

They are all caught in a situation they didnt want but could not control. But in the end the love that binds the three will free and heal the wounds of their past.

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Till their next screen team-up
STARBYTES By Butch Francisco
The Philippine Star 10/12/2006

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 Asias 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 others guts because Robin is able to smell Regines 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 tenants 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 dont gossip about the closeness of Robin and Regine. Surely, movie talk shows and the scandal sheets wont make a living out of these people.

Well, some people also get hurt in the story. Regines 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 theres 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 didnt get to see their previous film together. Not till I saw Till I Met You did I realize what wonderful chemistry they have - and Id want to see more of that.

Till their next screen team-up.