Synopsis
If you love me, why are you making me choose?
A bartender and a domestic helper of Filipino origin living in Hong Kong find themselves falling in love, but they each have different plans for their future.
Hello, Love, Goodbye
2019 Directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina
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Alden Richards’ character, Ethan, is pushy, creepy and problematic.
He will continue sending friend requests even if Joy declined several times already. He will make the radio station talk about Joy in public without her permission. He will use another phone to text Joy anonymously. He will act like a police even if Joy is weeping out of fear. He will squeeze through inside a small room knowing that Joy will be uncomfortable. He will continually send “Need a friend today?” text messages even if Joy has rejected it so many times. I don’t know how a Filipino girl reacts to such moves, but if people consider this as “nakakakilig,” there’s a problem. It almost gave me the same queasy…
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It's the specificity that I enjoyed the most. There have been many movies about the OFW experience, but this one roots itself in the particulars of the Hong Kong domestic helper. They're women who have made the great sacrifice to be separated from their families for the sake of potential economic prosperity. But they labor under a system that seems intent on limiting them. They are given work, certainly, but they aren't free to seek other work. To do so is illegal.
Joy is pursuing a dream, seeking a life beyond being the absent breadwinner for a family that doesn't feel her suffering. And because she wants more, she can't just stay within the very limited lines of her existence,…
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“Pag ang babae binigay lahat, tanga. Pag pinili sarili, masama. San ba talaga kami lulugar, Ate Vi?”
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I was almost ending this year without watching a Filipino film (which is pretty embarrassing because I’m a Filipina). But this one, the highest-grossing Philippine film of all time, was the exception.
I'm really glad that I have finally seen this. It was truly heartfelt and emotional. Well, I guess for me. 'Cause when you grew up with overseas working parents and became the guardian of your 4 younger siblings at the age of 14, and now that you're an ofw yourself, you just know. You get to empathize with the plight of the OFWs, and as you get fully immersed with Joy's character, you can no longer stop crying. (I so love Kathryn Bernardo, so Yes!)
I actually plan…
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This is a film I normally don’t go for. I chickened out of a midnight screening of Midsommar and caught this one instead. (I felt I wasn’t mentally ready for that haha.)
But I was surprised because this one wasn’t a walk in the park too—it dropped some heavy emotional bombs. With grace though.
I liked it as a whole. Was it cheesy/sometimes overly romantic? Hell yeah. But it was good. Because it was honest. Honest is beautiful. Well-acted, too. I cried lots.
And they portrayed the OFW life honorably and respectfully, I think. Never underestimate an OFW’s plight.
As an immigrant’s kid, I deeply appreciated how this film didn’t shy away from the messy parts of life away from…
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A heartfelt romantic comedy drama set in Hong Kong following the story of Joy and Ethan, two filipino immigrants. It ain’t a new story, but it blends the hardships, sacrifice, dreams, love & realities of a overseas domestic worker quite empathetically. The pairing of Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards was so charming & lovable.
Hello, Love, Goodbye‘s message is simple: give yourself the chance to do what you want, get back up from disappointments, be courageous enough to love and choose whether you want to leave or stay. The film doesn’t portray Bernardo and Alden as some people who need your pity—but rather portrays the characters humanely, with stories and experiences that empower them to ultimately choose how to pave their own way for their futures—with or without each other. A warm satisfying drama.
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My notes on Hello, Love, Goodbye:
1. Naalala ko nung nagpunta ako ng Hong Kong around 2014, napadaan ako sa Central area isang Linggo at nagulat ako sa dami ng mga OFWs (mostly women) na nasa gilid-gilid mula sa overpass malapit sa train station hanggang sa mismong kalye na ang isang parte ay ipinasara para tayuan ng makeshift stage (“Beauty and the Best” ang theme ng show slash pageant noon).
Parang isang mahabang row ng mga nagpi-picnic ang itsura nila sa kani-kanilang mga puwesto habang nakaupo sa ibabaw ng mga karton ng balikbayan boxes. Maririnig mo ang malalakas na tawanan at maiingay na kuwentuhan/chismisan kasabay ng pagsasalu-salo nilang magkakaibigan sa baong pancit, adobo, at kung anu-ano pang ulam na niluto…
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1. If you've seen La La Land, this is essentially the same thing but with OFWs, unrealistic dialogue and zero appreciation for music lmao [see #4]
2. The film was presented in 16:9 all throughout. Are you fucking kidding me? THE SCREEN IN SM NORTH WAS ALREADY IN THE STANDARD 2.39:1 RATIO. WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU SCREEN A FEATURE FILM IN THIS MANNER?
3. TFW 0% of the jokes landed
4. Absolutely horrendous use of music. It's as if the filmmakers were abusing this butchered rendition of December Avenue's "Kung 'Di Rin Lang Ikaw" multiple times to forcibly draw an emotional response from the viewer. I now fucking hate that song.
5. Alden Richard's character is retarded [sorry for…
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MA-Dubai. MA-Sunday Beauty Queen.
MA-galing si non-FAMAS, non-Urian winner Kathryn kapag hindi siya "umaarte." MA-galing si Alden kahit medyo annoying 'yung ayos-nang-ayos-ng-cap acting niya.
MA-ayos na Hello. MA-keri lang na Love. MA-tapang na Goodbye.
MA-ganda siya? MA-ganda naman."May mga lugar na pangmatagalan; may mga lugar na dinadaan lang. Tulad din ng tao -- may mga dumadaan lang, meron ding pangmatagalan na babaguhin ka habang-buhay."
"'Pag bigay nang bigay, tanga. 'Pag inuna naman ang sarili, masama. Saan ba talaga kami lulugar, Ate Vi?"
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"The time stops when you don't use it."
There's a single aspect in Hello, Love, Goodbye that makes it truly worth watching—its fairly authentic portrayal of the collective plights of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). As a former OFW's kid, this one definitely hits home, and it's pretty much the same feeling I had when I watched Sunday Beauty Queen. I have heard a lot of stories about their struggles abroad including from my mom and dad. The moment Joy (Kathryn Bernardo) shouted "I love you all pero 'tangina, pa'no naman ako?" was pretty reminiscent to that of my mom's sentiments about her experience when she was feeling down while at work. It's really sad, and this one spoke so much…
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You can look past through the sappy by it being filled with palpable OFW stories and heartfelt moments of almost every character (that scene when Joy sees her Nursing classmate having his honeymoon in HK, then is asked what is she doing there, what a tearjerker).
It has many subplots about family, self-worth, career, and brief encounters that can stand alone, but their sum is a surprising and refreshing experience.
(so much better when rewatched🥲)