Opposites attract

Falling in love is not easy, as the lead characters of When Love Begins realise.

"Does passion end, when commitment starts?" This is the first sentence spoken in the trailer of new Tagalog movie When Love Begins. Shot in Boracay, in the Philippines, the story revolves around Ben Caballero (Aga Muhlach), an environmentalist, and Michelle Valmonte (Anne Curtis), a marketing assistant working for her father who is a real estate developer.

A well-planned plot

In the story, Ben goes on casual dates, hopping from one woman to another. Michelle, on the other hand, is afraid to fall in love, thinking that it is too much of a responsibility. Besides, she is afraid of getting hurt. But sparks fly when they meet on a summer vacation in Boracay and immediately take a liking to each other, despite their differences of opinion. They agree on one thing, though: No commitment. They both believe that commitment isn't needed for love to survive and that passion is enough to keep them together.

Conflicts arise when Ben is forced to face Michelle's father, who plans to cut some trees to make way for a real estate development. Being involved in his NGO (non-governmental organisation), Ben fights this company which threatens the environment. This challenges their love for each other, forcing Michelle to choose between the two men she loves: Ben or her father.

The beauty of Boracay

This film is written and directed by Jose Javier Reyes. Scriptwriter Direk Joey uses the beauty of Boracay as a backdrop for his latest opus. He says that Boracay is one of his most favourite places and he feels that "all the [other] movies shot in Boracay have never captured the true beauty of the island." He visits Boracay at least thrice a year and finds it an inspiring place to work in.

"Boracay has always been my sanctuary and for the first time, I allowed work to invade my sanctuary," he says. The island being personal for him, he shares that at first it was awkward to work there, but eventually, it was worth it.

He also talks about his experience working with Muhlach and Curtis. "I've done so many movies with Aga Muhlach before and [working with him] again is a pleasant experience. He's a personal friend ... I'm looking forward to working with him over and over again."

Of Anne Curtis, who makes her leading lady debut in this film, Direk Joey says working with her was a delight. "Anne is so uncomplicated. She's not a brat and she's very pleasant. And I would like to work with her again, very very soon! After the many months of working with them, I'm very happy," Joey recounts.

Muhlach also praises Joey on his fresh takes on eternal topics such as love and relationships. "That's what I like about him, he always has a new approach and he's always updated. I trust him completely because we've known each other for the longest time," Muhlach says. "I absolutely love Joey because of his soul, he's a really beautiful person and I want to work with him again!"

Tragedy strikes

The filming for When Love Begins started in the last quarter of 2007. But due to personal circumstances of the lead actors – Muhlach's mother died, as did Curtis' younger sister – filming resumed in the early part of 2008.

Muhlach being in show business for quite a number of years shot to fame in the movie Bagets, in 1984. Now at 38, he is still able to carry his matinee idol stature even, with a co-star 15 years his junior.

Curtis, on the other hand, has been dreaming of working with Muhlach since she was 12 years old. She says that this movie is a dream come true for her. On various television talk shows Curtis has said that she was very tense when shooting first began, but Muhlach helped her feel at ease with their scenes.

Especially, since there were a lot scenes that involved intimate sets. Muhlach, however, stresses that the kissing scenes and much talked-about love scene is not the selling point of the movie. Star Cinema, the makers of the film, reveal that they are happy with the movie and it lived up to their expectations.

Joining Muhlach and Curtis in this film is a roster of stars including Christopher de Leon, Ronaldo Valdez, Boots Anson Roa, Desiree del Valle, Dimples Romana, Mandy Ochoa, Angel Jacob, Rafael Rosel, AJ Dee, Jon Avila, Mads Nicolas, Alma Lerma, Jennifer Lee. The film also brings to the limelight new comers who are ABS-CBN's Pinoy Big Brother and Pinoy Dream Academy, Micky Perz, Dionne Monsanto, Raymond Lim, Riza Santos, Gail Nicolas, Gemma Fitzgerald and Davey Langit.

"We expect that Filipinos all over the world will be able to relate to and embrace the film. Dubai is close to Star Cinema and Muhlach's heart as we shot [the film] Dubai there some years ago," Star Cinema further shares. Other than Dubai, When Love Begins will also be shown in the United States and some parts of Europe.