Hello, Love, Goodbye

''Hello, Love, Goodbye'' is a 2019 Philippine romantic drama film directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina and produced by Star Cinema. The film follows Joy Fabregas (Kathryn Bernardo), a struggling overseas Filipino worker, and Ethan Del Rosario (Alden Richards), a bartender, as they attempt to reconcile their personal careers and love for each other in Hong Kong. The film was released on July 31, 2019, in the Philippines and started screening internationally on August 1, 2019.

''Hello, Love, Goodbye'' is currently the highest grossing Philippine film of all time. The film received numerous awards and recognition's locally and internationally. The film was also featured in Golden Globe Awards website, and received a nomination at the 9th AACTA Awards for Best Asian Film and won at the National level of the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2020 for Best Picture.

Synopsis

Joy (Kathryn Bernardo) is a spunky, down-on-her-luck millennial who works as a domestic helper in Hong Kong. While she excels in her job and enjoys the friendship of many other empowered domestic helpers, she plans to leave the city soon.

In her journey to achieving her goals, Joy meets Filipino bartender Ethan (Alden Richards). Ethan is already building a permanent life in Hong Kong. In a few years, he will officially become a resident in the city. After escaping responsibilities all his life, Ethan now wants to commit to a career and to his family (who also reside in Hong Kong). Joy and Ethan soon develop a friendship. The two become each other's joy against the grime and grind of Hong Kong.

Cast

Main

* Kathryn Bernardo as Joy Marie Fabregas:
A nursing graduate who works as a domestic helper in Hong Kong.
* Alden Richards as Ethan Del Rosario:
A bartender who is on his way of attaining Hong Kong residency status who is relatively well off compared to Joy.

Supporting

* Kakai Bautista as Sally Daraga
* Lito Pimentel as Mario Del Rosario
* Joross Gamboa as Jihim
* Maymay Entrata as Mary Dale Fabregas
* Lovely Abella as Gina Marikit
* Jameson Blake as Edward Del Rosario
* William Lorenzo as Celso Fabregas
* Anthony Jennings as Eric Del Rosario
* Wilbert Ross as Joey Fabregas
* Aliyah Billote as Liezel Fabregas
* Angela Poliquit as Annie
* Jon Go as Wayne
* Poon Po Lun Lilac as Lin (Annie's mother)
* Pang Mei Sheung as PoPo (Mrs. Chung)

Special Participation

* Maricel Laxa as Lita
* Maxine Medina as Tanya
* Jerome Ponce as JM

Production

The film is starred by Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards. Both are affiliated with the two major rival networks in the Philippines: Bernardo with ABS-CBN and Richards with GMA Network. The two also belongs to two different "love teams": Bernardo with Daniel Padilla in Kathniel and Richards with Maine Mendoza in AlDub. Together, they play the role of two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong who became romantically involved with each other. Director Cathy Garcia-Molina said that the two main cast members were not subjected to "baby or special treatment" for the film project.

Filming for ''Hello, Love, Goodbye'' in Hong Kong has begun by April 2019, amidst the early period of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, and was completed after a month. Principal photography for the film ended by May 19, 2019, in Sucat, Parañaque. Post-production work for ''Hello, Love, Goodbye'' was done in Bangkok, Thailand, with ABS-CBN Film Productions collaborating with Thai production firm Kantana Group. It was the first collaboration between the two firms.

Release

Theatrical run

''Hello, Love, Goodbye'' premiered in the Philippines on July 31, 2019 in 465 cinemas, a record. The international screenings started on August 1, 2019. The film also made history in Saudi Arabia as the first Filipino film ever to be screened in the cinemas of Jeddah.

Reception

Box office

The film was declared the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time after earning over worldwide gross revenue on September 3, 2019, replacing the film ''The Hows of Us'' that was also directed by Molina and starred by Bernardo.

Domestic

The film on its opening day earned a total of from over 350 cinemas in the Philippines. Three days after its local release, the film was reported to have earned . After four days, the film earned and was shown in 465 cinemas nationwide. As of August 12, 2019, the film has grossed domestically in 13 days of showing. After 17 days in cinemas, the film has grossed domestically.

International

The film earned in box office receipts abroad on its first week of release. The film was also recognized now the highest-grossing Filipino film in the Middle East for earning over as of August 18. It is also the highest-grossing Filipino film in Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom earning over , and respectively.

Critical response

Filipino film critic Philbert Dy gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 and praised Bernardo's performance. Oggs Cruz, writing for Rappler, reviewed the film thus, "''Hello, Love, Goodbye'' is fine entertainment – one that doesn’t dumb down the issues it puts forward for the sake of a standard happy ending." He pointed out that while the romantic plot was formulaic and characters seemed to have become stereotypical, the film's strengths were its depiction of Hong Kong through the female protagonist's perspective and of the struggles of overseas Filipino workers as domestic helpers. In his review, Armando B. Chavez of Philippine Daily Inquirer said that the love story stood out due to the "backdrop of the plight of OFWs in Hong Kong." He also praised the musical editing, the close-up shots of the protagonists, and performances of Bernardo and Richards, describing them as ''tour de force''. He wrote, "This is a date movie if ever there’s one. As they say back home, “just feel the feeling.” Sit back, secretly dab the tears away... resistance is futile."

Ricky Lo of The Philippine Star gave a generally positive review of the film particularly the comic relief provided by Abella, Bautista, and Entrata. Tito Genova Valiente however disagreed and considered the trio's performances as "aggravating" while praising Bernardo and Richard, stating, "There is Bernardo with perhaps the quietest performance for any actress of her generation. Bernardo can act within a small frame, holding her face solidly as if a slight movement will mar that portrayal... Alden gets the cinematographic love, as well. His Ethan starts fun and ends tragic but with lots of hope, even if it does not matter what happens to that hope. When those tears fall from Richards's eyes, they bring us back to those old, old cinemas of leading men looking beautiful and strong in grief."

Possible sequel

On August 1, 2019, during the opening week of the film, lead actor Alden Richards and director Cathy Garcia-Molina expressed openness on working on a sequel for the film despite the latter's confirming plans to retire from directing to focus on her family. On August 26, 2019, lead actress Kathryn Bernardo has also expressed similar sentiments on doing a sequel for the film.

Novel adaptation

A novel adaptation written of Hello, Love, Goodbye, authored by Palanca awardee Charmaine Lasar and published under ABS-CBN Books, was released on August 26, 2019. The novel also include additional narration on the backstory of Joy, about her life in the Philippines prior to moving to Hong Kong and an epilogue which was not depicted in the film. Behind-the-scenes information, and on-set photos are also included in the novel.

Television release

Pay-per-view

The film premiered on pay-per-view channel, KBO from December 13–17, 2019. It also aired again on the second week from December 20–25, 2019, along with the television premiere of '' Indak'', and on the third week from December 27 – January 1, 2020, along with the television premiere of iWant Original Movie, ''Mga Mata sa Dilim''.

Cable television

The film premiered on Cinema One on March 15, 2020 and on Kapamilya Channel on June 15, 2020, two days after its launch.

Free-to-air

The film premiered on A2Z Channel 11 on November 14, 2020.

The film premiered on GMA Network on December 25, 2022.

Accolades

References

External links

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{{Cathy Garcia-Molina

2019 films
Star Cinema films
Films about bartenders
Films shot in Hong Kong
Films set in Hong Kong
Filipino-language films
2010s Tagalog-language films
2019 romantic drama films
Philippine romantic drama films