Skip to main content

When I Met U

Some of the devices used in the story to separate the pair are actually dated and had been done by the mother of Leonor Rivera when she broke her daughter’s romance with Jose Rizal. But instead of intercepting letters, it is the cell phone


STAR BYTES By Butch Francisco Updated February 12, 2009 12:00 AM

In the story, Richard and KC get stranded on a deserted island for a night on their way to a wedding in Palawan. Even if there is initial dislike for each other in the beginning, they still end up having a romance (but, of course — this is a love story!).

The trouble is — they are committed to other people: Richard to Iya Villania and KC to Alfred Vargas. From the start there is already a doubt in Richard’s heart about his love for Iya and so we see that their relationship is brittle. From KC’s end, it is easy to understand why she had mixed feelings for Alfred: He is controlling, cold and has no sense of humor. In other words, he is boring.

Their problem is how to get out of their respective commitments so that they could be with each other without hurting other people. That is the main conflict of When I Met U.

Some of the devices used in the story to separate the pair are actually dated and had been done by the mother of Leonor Rivera when she broke her daughter’s romance with Jose Rizal. But instead of intercepting letters, it is the cell phone — with its texting device — that is used by the people who are against Richard and KC ending up with each other. For the viewer, that kind of mechanism used in the story is still acceptable because it adds up to the suspense on whether or not the two leads will end up with each other. Of course, I don’t even have to give you a hint on the outcome, but the interesting factor there is how they go about it — the emotional burdens they carry with them and the hardships they go through to fight for their love.

Adding more layers to the twist and turns of the story are the characters of the secondary cast members. The coldness and the severe way with which Alfred deals with KC is believable. It also helps that Alfred is a good actor and you feel the iciness that envelops his person. No, he is not bad. He is just that way — cold. Other than that, he has endearing traits — like he is responsible and generous — and this is the reason why KC has second thoughts about breaking up with him. He may not excite you outright, but you’ll learn to appreciate him in time. And then, there is also his very kind grandmother, played by Perla Bautista, who gives another one of her inspired performances in spite of the shortness of the role.

On the part of Iya, I guess her fault is that she loved Richard too much and that could be suffocating. Again, that puts Richard in a quandary because here is a woman who loves you so why can’t you love her back? But love can be so mysterious and complicated — as demonstrated by the characters of Richard and KC, who again turn in wonderful performances.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Phrases for Public Speakers at Sea

by M. B. Powell We ought, first of all, to note her oceanic eyes flecked with sea wrack. And we should pause to consider the wavy wilderness of her damp hair. I will not dwell on her cheeks ruddy under my thumbstrokes. I will not attempt to explain the shapely abalone shells of her ears. I wish to call your attention to the cunning animal of her mouth, muscular. I wish to say something about the mollusky dark language of her kisses. I am obliged to mention her sudden breasts, breaching, rhythmic. And I am perfectly astounded at her finger charting my lips round her nipple. Here, in this connection, let us notice her nipple against the roof of my mouth. Here, in passing, let us observe ...
2 comments
Read more

Low

It's not happiness, but something else; waiting for the light to change; a bakery. It's a lake. It emerges from darkness into the next day surrounded by pines. There's a couple. It's a living room. The upholstery is yellow and the furniture is walnut. They used to lie down on the carpet between the sofa and the coffee table, after the guests had left. The cups and saucers were still. Their memories of everything that occurred took place with the other's face as a backdrop and sometimes the air was grainy like a movie about evening, and sometimes there was an ending in the air that looked like a scene from a different beginning, in which they are walking. It took place alongside a scene in which one of them looks up at a brown rooftop early in March. The ground hadn't softened. One walked in front of the other breathing. The other saw a small house as they passed and breathed. The reflections in the windows made them hear the sounds on th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Caffeine

Because you do not know me, Francezca, you have every reason to be afraid— afraid because, while you are sleeping, I can be the moon, peeping in from out your window like some lonely lunar voyeur, or some rusty blade or kitchen knife when you feel like ending your life with a quick slash or laceration; because, when you wake up, I can be the toothbrush dangling silently in your bathroom, or the forlorn cotton bud preparing to rid your ears of dust and excessive earwax. This is no time to relax, Francezca— I can be anywhere anytime, anyone and anything you cannot even begin to imagine: the whipped cream on your waffle, the mothballs in your closet, the card tag of your tea bag, the jaundiced shade of moonlight, the moon-cake you hate, the steady staccato of rain, the flush’s fecal fouette, the hair inside your nose, your lip, your mole, black hair and brown irises, white teeth and red gums, your scalp, your skin, even your toenails. What is scary, Francezca, is the fact that you don’t e...
Post a Comment
Read more