Love beyond labels: Charo Santos, Dingdong Dantes explore unconventional romance in new film

Metro Manila, Philippines - They didn’t fall in love at the wrong time. They simply found each other in an unexpected way.

In a new film directed by Irene Villamor, Charo Santos and Dingdong Dantes break boundaries and defy conventions in a story that redefines what it means to love.

Santos plays Betty, a woman who enters a deeply personal and emotionally complex connection with Ryan, portrayed by Dantes. Their relationship doesn’t follow traditional rules - the point of the storyline.

Santos shared in a recent interview with NewsWatch Plus how the role became a journey of personal reflection.

“I really looked forward to doing this. I waited patiently,” Santos said, recalling her initial excitement for the project.

For Dantes, the project offered a rare chance to explore vulnerability.

“Playing Ryan was a chance to work alongside great talents and dive into a story that mirrors real-life experiences,” he said.

“If you get the opportunity to work with Ma’am Charo, of course, and with the brilliant director-writer Direk Irene, that is already a dream team, especially for a story like this,” Dantes said.

The film took seven years to complete, a period that both actors say enriched their understanding of love.

“A lot happened in my personal life. I went through things that gave me a better appreciation of love, what it really means to love deeply. I brought that into Betty,” Santos revealed.

Dantes echoed the sentiment, emphasizing how their perspective has evolved over the years.

“A lot also changed in our movie landscape and in our personal lives too. But maybe what changed the most was our perspective. Had we done this seven years ago, we might have interpreted the roles differently. Now, we understand love more deeply,” he said

Villamor, who developed the story alongside the actors, said the timing of the film’s release is significant.

“Because of what is happening in the world today, after the pandemic and amid global chaos, people have this survival mindset: just take care of yourself or your family. There is a loss of connection. ‘Only We Know’ is timely because it touches on that need to reach out again,” the director said.

The relationship between Betty and Ryan is intentionally left ambiguous, focusing on emotional depth rather than labels.

“Outside of labels, loving is loving. Caring deeply for someone is universal. Seeing someone for who they are, loving unconditionally without boundaries or definitions, that is something people understand,” Santos said.

“Many of the people we talked to had similar experiences. That is what we wanted to represent — the relationships only the people involved can define,” added Dantes.

“Only We Know” premieres nationwide on June 11.