The newest masterpiece of Star Cinema “Hello, Love, Goodbye” just premiered in the UAE. It was so well-received in other countries that when it came here, the movie was almost sold out for the first three days of its screening. Fans from rival networks united together to support this movie and see what it has to offer. It turns out, it was so deserving of the hype.
How so? Not only did “Hello, Love, Goodbye” made sparks fly with the unexpected chemistry of Alden and Kathryn—who are both known as halves of the love teams AlDub and KathNiel, respectively—it also shows the raw experiences of Overseas Filipino Workers, so real they almost hurt.
The film centers around the lives of Joy (Kathryn) and Ethan (Alden), OFWs in Hong Kong who live very different lives. Joy is a domestic helper who barely scrapes by with her unstable main job and other gigs on the side (buy-and-sell, waiting, joining a pageant for the cash prize, and dish-washing at a bar). Ethan, meanwhile, is a happy-go-lucky bartender on his way to residency in Hong Kong. The two meet in the most unexpected way and at the most unexpected time, their relationship mirroring a lot of “what ifs” and complexities in the process.
There are many other takeaways from the film, and if you have seen it as well, you’d probably agree about these following lessons:
(This article contains major spoilers. If you have not seen it yet, we strongly recommend you read no further.)
Not all who work abroad have tons of money
We have all heard it, even at some point said it. The lines that go from “Nasa abroad ka kaya malamang mayaman ka!” to “Gusto ko ng bagong sapatos or cellphone, mama/papa/ate/kuya.” Many of us have been guilty of automatically assuming people we know who are living abroad have their wallets loaded with money. Hello, Love, Goodbye shows how it’s hardly the case for many OFWs, and it brilliantly does so just within the first few minutes of the film—Joy hustling almost every hour just to earn money and provide for her father and siblings back home, even engaging in jobs that put her status in Hong Kong at risk. Not many realize what most OFWs go through, especially domestic helpers in Hong Kong and around the world.
There is almost nothing we cannot do for family
Joy has become so keen on providing for her family that her eyes do not anymore spark what her name actually means. Many OFWs hardly say the sacrifices they do to earn, and the film, through the brilliant performance of Kathryn, depicts every point in the rawest way possible. Throughout the movie, Joy has always told Ethan that her plan to go to Canada also majorly stems from her dream to reunite her family again after so many years. She wants to salvage her mother—played excellently by Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan—from his abusive husband whom she had married only for a residence status, as well as petition her father and siblings residing back home.
Ethan has also shown his fair share of love for his family. While it was implied that he left them before, he desperately tries to make up for it by tending to his ill father and showing undeniable patience towards his brother who resents him. He is shown to be this carefree guy without any direction in life but towards the end of the film, we see Ethan taking in charge, finally putting into reality his responsibility to them.
Choosing yourself is not selfishness
Have you ever felt like you don’t have a choice in life because of your responsibility towards others? They say the most powerful stories are the ones you can greatly relate to, and if you have been in that situation, Joy’s story in the film will probably well you up big time.
Despite having a college degree, Joy ended up as a domestic helper in Hong Kong. It’s obviously not what she had dreamed for herself, but because of the need to provide, she felt like she had no choice but to stick it up. The scene where she screamed her heart out in Victoria Harbour, saying how she loves her family but it makes her feel tired, is so powerful because it hits the right spots really hard. Many people, especially those who work hard to support their families, often forget to stop and reflect about what they want. And it is mainly because they feel like a choice is a luxury they can’t afford to have. Just like what Joy said, “Ang choice, para lang sa mayayaman.”
It also happens in relationships, even more often than we realize. We fall in love so hard we choose what makes the relationship work, even if it goes against our own dreams. Ethan, already head over heels with Joy, tries desperately to make her stay. Joy told him that while she wants to, she cannot promise that she won’t regret it and resent him in the long run.
The film teaches that no matter how many reasons you may have to stay and give up on your dreams—even if these include people you love the most—in the end, choosing yourself is still the most fulfilling decision you can do. In this generation of self-preservation and personal goals, falling in love is not the end-all of things.
True love never restricts
“It’s not a question of love,” Joy answers when Ethan doubts her feelings for him because she couldn’t stay. Ethan has made aggressive moves to convince her that she can still have a good life in Hong Kong. This is typical in many relationships. Some people don’t realize the restrictions they are placing upon their partners. Hello, Love, Goodbye perfectly shows the pureness of letting go, that loving someone means giving them wings to explore horizons of growth.
There are people who will be there for only a short period of time but will change your life forever
Hello, Love, Goodbye is not your typical romantic film. It’s not banking on the kilig emotions—although Alden has successfully made women swoon with his banters with and melting looks to Kathryn—but on the gravity of Joy and Ethan’s relationship, albeit brief. We always have this notion that people who love us will stay with us, but the film is definitely the antithesis of that. It teaches us that just because a relationship doesn’t last does not mean love is not true and real. We meet people for a reason, and some will even have profound effects on our lives to the point of changing it permanently. They don’t need to stay for a long period of time to make a difference in our lives.
