Wikipedia

Hello, Love, Goodbye

Hello, Love, Goodbye is a 2019 Philippine romantic drama film directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina and produced by Carlo L. Katigbak and Olivia M. Lamasan from a story and screenplay written by Carmi G. Raymundo, with Rona Co, Crystal S. San Miguel, and Garcia-Molina co-writing the latter. It stars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards, with several cast members including Kakai Bautista, Lito Pimentel, Joross Gamboa, Maymay Entrata, Lovely Abella, and Jameson Blake. The film follows a struggling overseas Filipino worker, and a bartender, as they attempt to reconcile their personal careers and love for each other in Hong Kong.

Hello, Love, Goodbye
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCathy Garcia-Molina
Screenplay by
  • Carmi G. Raymundo
  • Rona Co
  • Crystal S. San Miguel
  • Cathy Garcia-Molina
Story byCarmi G. Raymundo
Produced by
  • John Leo D. Garcia
  • Carmi G. Raymundo
Starring
CinematographyNoel Teehankee
Edited byMarya Ignacio
Music byJessie Q. Lasaten
Production
company
Distributed byStar Cinema
Release date
  • July 31, 2019 (2019-07-31)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino
Box office₱880.6 million (US$17.4 million) (worldwide)

With a total revenue of ₱880 million, Hello, Love, Goodbye became the highest grossing Philippine film of all time, until it was surpassed by Rewind in January 2024.[1][2][3] It won several accolades, including Box Office Entertainment and PMPC Star awards. Produced and distributed by Star Cinema, the film was theatrically released on July 31, 2019, in the Philippines and started screening internationally on August 1, 2019. A sequel, Hello, Love, Again was released on November 13, 2024, with Richards and Bernardo returning.

Plot

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Joy is a nursing graduate who works as a domestic helper in Hong Kong. She aims to save enough money to find a better job in Canada in the hope of permanently moving there with her family in the Philippines. However, she is stymied by her father Celso, who wants to be reunited with his estranged wife Lita, who is married to a Hong Kong resident, Wayne, who regularly beats her. While working illegally as a bar tout, Joy receives the attention of the resident bartender, Ethan, who offers her a drink and returns her work documents after she goes into hiding from suspicious policemen.

Joy initially resists Ethan's advances, but after enduring an awkward visit to Lita, being scolded by her employer, and encountering her ex-boyfriend JM and his wife, Joy agrees to go on a one-night stand with Ethan at a motel. As they are about to begin, Joy rushes out and cries. As Ethan follows, she explains her frustrations with life, while Ethan confesses to being a womanizer who is unsure of what to do in life. This leads to a conditional understanding between the two to comfort each other in the remaining four months before Joy moves to Canada.

Ethan helps Joy get a clandestine job as a dishwasher in the bar. After Ethan goes absent for several days following an awkward visit by his drunk younger brother Edward, Joy traces Ethan to his father Mario's place. Ethan then reveals that his parents are Hong Kong residents who took their children to Hong Kong from the Philippines in the hopes that they gain residency and a better life. Ethan then became estranged from his family after he moved to the United States with his Filipino girlfriend Tanya, who then broke up with him. He was then deported back to Hong Kong and blacklisted for overstaying, which led to Edward, who was left alone to care for Mario, who was debilitated by a stroke, harboring a grudge against Ethan. Joy becomes jealous when Tanya visits Hong Kong and meets with Ethan, but the latter reassures Joy, creating a realization that their relationship has become romantic.

Ethan reveals his plans of setting up his own bar to redeem himself to his family and support Joy at the same time. Meanwhile, Joy, who finally has her departure for Canada confirmed, confronts Lita, who had been beaten again by Wayne. Lita confesses that she no longer loves Celso, who she resents for agreeing in the first place to marry off Lita, who was also a domestic helper, to Wayne, her employer in the hopes of her becoming a Hong Kong resident and lifting the family from poverty in what was originally planned to be a sham wedding. Upon hearing this from Joy, Celso calls off any hope of the family reuniting, throwing Joy's plans into disarray.

Ethan asks Joy if she could pretend to be an investor in his upcoming bar, which means that Joy would have to forego her departure for Canada. This leads to an argument wherein Ethan reveals that he wants to spend his future with Joy, who insists on going to Canada. However, Ethan relents when Joy reminds him that their relationship was bound by the conditions that they had set out previously and chastises him for not allowing her to pursue her dreams. Ethan later reconciles with his family and convinces Joy to spend her last days in Hong Kong enjoying each other's company as tourists. As the couple finally profess their love for each other, Ethan promises that they will meet again, while Joy promises to visit his bar, provisionally titled Ethan's Joy, in the future. The film ends with Joy at the airport on her way to Canada.

Cast

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Kathryn Bernardo portrays Joy
 
Alden Richards portrays Ethan
  • Kakai Bautista as Sally Daraga
  • Lito Pimentel as Mario Del Rosario:
    Ethan's father
  • Joross Gamboa as Jhim Gabriel
  • Maymay Entrata as Mary Dale Fabregas:
    A Joy's cousin she who works as a domestic helper in Hong Kong
  • Lovely Abella as Gina Mariquit
  • Jameson Blake as Edward Del Rosario:
    Ethan's younger brother
  • Jeffrey Tam as Carlo Nicolas
  • William Lorenzo as Celso Fabregas:
    Joy, Joey, and Liezel 's father and Lita's ex-husband
  • Anthony Jennings as Eric Del Rosario:
    Ethan's youngest brother
  • Wilbert Ross as Joey Fabregas:
    Joy's younger brother
  • Aliyah Billote as Liezel Fabregas:
    Joy's youngest sister
  • Angela Poliquit as Annie Chung: Lin's daughter
  • Jon Go as Wayne: Lita's second husband whom she married in the hopes of attaining Hong Kong residency.
  • Poon Po Lun Lilac as Lin Chung (Annie's mother)
  • Pang Mei Sheung as PoPo (Mrs. Chung)

Special participation

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Production

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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 belonged 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.[5] Director Cathy Garcia-Molina said that the two main cast members were not subjected to "baby or special treatment" for the film project.[6]

Filming for Hello, Love, Goodbye in Hong Kong has begun by April 2019,[7] amidst the early period of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, and was completed after a month.[8] Principal photography for the film ended by May 19, 2019, in Parañaque.[9] 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.[10]

Release

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Hello, Love, Goodbye premiered in the Philippines on July 31, 2019.[11] The film also made history in Saudi Arabia as the first Filipino film to be screened in cinemas in Jeddah.[12]

Reception

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Box office

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The film became the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time after earning over ₱880.6 million worldwide gross revenue on September 3, 2019, surpassing the film The Hows of Us that was also directed by Molina and starred by Bernardo.[2][13] This record was held by the film until January 2024, when it was surpassed by Rewind.

Domestic

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The film on its opening day earned a total of ₱34.4 million from over 350 cinemas in the Philippines.[14] Three days after its local release, the film was reported to have earned ₱110.8 million.[15] After four days, the film earned ₱176.6 million[16] and was shown in 465 cinemas nationwide.[16] As of August 12, 2019, the film has grossed ₱505.7 million domestically in 13 days of showing.[17] After 17 days in cinemas, the film has grossed ₱603 million domestically.[18]

International

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The film earned US$2.1 million in box office receipts abroad on its first week of release.[19] The film was also recognized now the highest-grossing Filipino film in the Middle East for earning over US$1 million as of August 18.[20] It is also the highest-grossing Filipino film in Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom earning over US$195,336,[21] US$60,459[22] and US$32,313[23] respectively.

Critical response

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Filipino film critic Philbert Dy gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 and praised Bernardo's performance.[24] 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.[25] 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."[26] The Toronto-based The Philippine Reporter, Ysh Cabana wrote "Despite having a woman filmmaker at the helm, it doesn’t reflect on the experience of nurses, mostly women, arriving in Canada struggling to take competency assessments or to enter a bridging program just to be able to practice their international education. This reinforces middle-class fantasy production."[27]

Ricky Lo of The Philippine Star gave a generally positive review of the film particularly the comic relief provided by Abella, Bautista, and Entrata.[28] 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."[29]

Accolades

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Accolades received by Hello, Love, Goodbye
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
AACTA Awards December 4, 2019 Best Asian Film Cathy Garcia-Molina, Olivia M. Lamasan, and Carlo L. Katigbak Nominated [30]
[31]
Asian Academy Creative Awards[a] December 3–4, 2020 Best Direction (Fiction) Cathy Garcia-Molina Nominated [32]
[33]
[34]
Best Feature Film Hello, Love, Goodbye Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Carmi Raymundo, Cathy Garcia-Molina, and Rona Go Nominated
Box Office Entertainment Awards October 18, 2020 Phenomenal Star of Philippine Cinema Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards Won [35]
Film Actor of the Year Alden Richards Won
Film Actress of the Year Kathryn Bernardo Won
Most Popular Film Screenwriter Carmi Raymundo, Rona Go, and Cathy Garcia-Molina Won
Most Popular Film Director Cathy Garcia-Molina Won
FAMAS Awards December 20, 2020 Best Actor Alden Richards Nominated [36]
Best Actress Kathryn Bernardo Nominated
Best Editing Maya Ignacio Nominated
Best Scoring Jessie Lasaten Nominated
Gawad Urian Awards November 10, 2020 Best Actress Kathryn Bernardo Nominated [37]
Best Actor Alden Richards Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Maricel Laxa Nominated
PMPC Star Awards for Movies September 26, 2021 Movie of the Year Hello, Love, Goodbye Won [38]
[39]
Movie Director of the Year Cathy Garcia-Molina Won
Movie Actor of the Year Alden Richards Won
Movie Actress of the Year Kathryn Bernardo Nominated
Movie Supporting Actress of the Year Maricel Laxa Won
Movie Ensemble Acting of the Year Hello, Love, Goodbye Nominated
Movie Screenwriter of the Year Cathy Garcia-Molina, Carmi Raymundo, and Rona Co Won
Movie Cinematographer of the Year Noel Teehankee Nominated
Movie Editor of the Year Marya Ignacio Nominated
Movie Production Designer of the Year Norico Santos Nominated
Movie Musical Scorer of the Year Jessie Lasaten Nominated
Movie Loveteam of the Year Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards Won

Sequel

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Main article: Hello, Love, Again

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.[40] On August 26, 2019, lead actress Kathryn Bernardo has also expressed similar sentiments on doing a sequel for the film.[41] On May 19, 2024, Deadline Hollywood confirmed that Star Cinema and GMA Pictures will be joining forces to develop the film with Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards reprising their respective roles as Joy and Ethan. Titled Hello, Love, Again, then film had Cathy Garcia-Sampana returning as its director and was shot in Canada.[42] The film was released on November 13, 2024.[43]

Novel adaptation

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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.[44] The novel also includes 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.[45]

Notes

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  1. ^ Covers non-web-only entities and excludes national winners

References

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  1. ^ Rappler.com (August 24, 2019). "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' makes over P800 million worldwide". Rappler. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Hallare, Katrina (September 3, 2019). "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' is highest-grossing PH film". entertainment.inquirer.net. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  3. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' Sets Record at Philippines Box Office". www.hollywoodreporter.com. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Barrientos, Giselle (August 2, 2019). "In 'Hello, Love, Goodbye,' an OFW gets a chance to choose herself". Scout Magazine. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Belleza, Irish Eden (August 4, 2019). "Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards crossover for love". Gulf News. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  6. ^ "Kathryn Bernardo served co-workers on 'Hello, Love, Goodbye' movie set in HK". The Filipino Times. June 24, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Salonga, Rita (April 9, 2019). "Kathryn, Alden start shooting in Hong Kong". DZRH News. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Aguilar, Krissy (July 10, 2019). "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' shoot a 'big adjustment' for Kathryn, Daniel". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  9. ^ "Kathryn Bernardo-Alden Richards movie, kakatapos lang ng principal photography" [Principal photography for Kathryn Bernardo-Alden Richards movie just finishd]. PEP.ph. Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc. May 19, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  10. ^ Anarcon, James Patrick (June 22, 2019). "Hello Love Goodbye director on Kathryn Bernardo: "Medyo inalila talaga namin siya sa Hong Kong."" [Hello Love Goodbye director on Kathryn Bernardo: "We maltreated her a bit in Hong Kong"]. PEP.ph. Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  11. ^ Shi, Stephanie (July 7, 2019). "The International Posters For Kathryn Bernardo + Alden Richards' Film 'Hello, Love, Goodbye' Will Make You Kilig". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  12. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' is first PH film to be shown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  13. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' makes history as highest grossing PH film of all time". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  14. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' earns P34 million on opening day". ABA-CBN News. August 1, 2019.
  15. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' collects P110 million in 3 days". ABS-CBN News. August 1, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "'Hello, Love, Goobye' earns P250M in less than a week". ABS-CBN News. August 5, 2019.
  17. ^ Maglaqui, Rhovin. "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' hits ₱500M in local box office! | Star Cinema". starcinema.abs-cbn.com. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  18. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' racks up P600 million". ABS-CBN News. August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  19. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' racks up P600 million". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  20. ^ ""Hello, Love, Goodbye" marks box-office record in the Middle East | ABS-CBN Corporate". ABS-CBN Corporation. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  21. ^ "Hello, Love, Goodbye - Financial Information Australia". The Numbers. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  22. ^ "Hello, Love, Goodbye". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  23. ^ "Hello, Love, Goodbye". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  24. ^ "A ★★★★ review of Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019)". letterboxd.com.[permanent dead link‍]
  25. ^ Cruz, Oggs (August 2, 2019). "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' review: Love in a huff". Rappler. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  26. ^ Chavez, Armando B. (August 9, 2019). "Movie Review: 'Hello, Love Goodbye' rises from the ordinary". INQUIRER.net USA. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  27. ^ Cabana, Ysh (October 11, 2019). "Temp workers, transient love, Film Review: Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019)". The Philippine Reporter. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  28. ^ Lo, Ricky (August 15, 2019). "The 'hows' of Kathryn & Alden". philstar.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  29. ^ Valiente, Tito Genova (August 8, 2019). "In silences, 'Hello, Love, Goodbye' soars - Tito Genova Valiente". BusinessMirror. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  30. ^ Grater, Tom (October 23, 2019). "The Nightingale, Lambs Of God Lead 2019 Australian Academy Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  31. ^ Bulbeck, Pip (December 4, 2019). "Jennifer Kent's The Nightingale Wins Big At Australia's AACTA Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  32. ^ Anarcon, James Patrick (October 16, 2020). "Asian Academy Creative Awards 2020 releases national winners; ABS-CBN has 13 wins". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  33. ^ Anarcon, James Patrick (December 4, 2020). "Arjo Atayde wins Best Actor at Asian Academy Creative Awards 2020". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  34. ^ Frater, Patrick (December 4, 2020). "Crash Landing and Garden of Evening Mists Win Asian Academy Creative Awards Gold". Variety. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  35. ^ Calderon, Nora V. (February 7, 2020). "Kathryn Bernardo, Alden Richards, Aga Muhlach, Xia Vigor lead 51st Box Office Entertainment Awards winners". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  36. ^ "Full List: Winners, 2020 FAMAS Awards". Rappler. December 20, 2020. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  37. ^ "Full List: Gawad Urian 2020". Rappler. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  38. ^ Requintina, Robert (March 18, 2021). "PMPC releases official list of nominees for 36th Star Awards for Movies". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  39. ^ "Alden Richards, Sylvia Sanchez win top acting honors at 36th Star Awards for Movies". Philippine Entertainment Portal (in Tagalog). September 26, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  40. ^ Buan-Deveza, Reyma (August 2, 2019). "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' sequel? Alden, Direk Cathy open to doing a follow-up film". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  41. ^ Is Kathryn Bernanrdo open for a 'Hello, Love, Goodbye' sequel? (August 26, 2019). "Kathryn Bernardo, open ba for a 'Hello, Love, Goodbye' sequel?". Star Cinema (in Tagalog and English). Retrieved September 4, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  42. ^ Merican, Sara (May 19, 2024). "'Hello, Love, Again': Star Cinema & GMA Pictures Set Sequel To Filipino Box Office Hit 'Hello, Love, Goodbye'". Deadline. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  43. ^ "'Hello, Love, Again': Here's where to watch the film". GMA News. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  44. ^ "'Hello, Love, Goodbye' now a novel". Rappler. August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  45. ^ Zarzuela, Dyan (August 28, 201). "You Guys, There's An Epilogue To Joy And Ethan's Story In 'Hello, Love, Goodbye'". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
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