Hello, Love, Goodbye: Movie Review

Photos Courtesy of Star Cinema YouTube Channel - Hello, Love, Goodbye Official Trailer

With unrelenting chemistry and superb acting from its two leads, "Hello, Love, Goodbye" turns out to be an outstanding romance drama film experience. Against the backdrop and introspective of our country's modern day heroes, the OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) specifically domestic helpers in Hong Kong, the film was able to bank on even more emotions than expected.

Photos Courtesy of Star Cinema YouTube Channel - Hello, Love, Goodbye Official Trailer

Life in Hong Kong is not easy more so for the domestic helpers who are unable to improve their lives even if they wanted to. One of these domestic helpers is Joy (Kathryn Bernardo) who has wants to leave Hong Kong and find a better life in Canada as a nurse. But unfortunate circumstances have prevented her from attaining this life-long dream. Ethan (Alden Richards) is a bartender and has a few years left before he can be a permanent resident in Hong Kong. Both meet one fateful night and while they do not fall instantly in love, Ethan's persistence eventually wins Joy's heart. But their polar opposite circumstances and dreams will make the decision to continue with their relationship a difficult one to make.

Photos Courtesy of Star Cinema YouTube Channel - Hello, Love, Goodbye Official Trailer

"Hello, Love, Goodbye" does enough to make it one of the better romance drama films we have seen. How it accomplishes this is by pretty much making outstanding work on the basics. First and foremost, the central characters of Ethan and Joy were well-written and well-scripted. Both characters had deep-seeded personal issues that were not only central to the film's main conflict but grounded and believable. The script was mostly great having its fair share of emotional one-liners and witty banters but we have to admit, it went a little too cheesy in some scenes. Beyond that, both characters had great actors and performances behind them that gave these characters much life and much justice. Additionally, the main narrative was well-written. It felt fresh and had a lot of unexpected twists, turns, and surprises along the way. The ending was satisfying without spoiling much. It also presented a basic look into the stark reality of the OFW domestic helpers in Hong Kong. However, we felt that the film failed to establish more emotions on this introspective. While it had some unnerving revelations about the domestic helper life, most of these have been tackled better in other films previously. What surprised us most though if the film's cinematography. It's a given that Hong Kong is a beautiful city to begin with but the camera work here impressed us. Overall, "Hello, Love, Goodbye" is a great romance drama film worth your time and one heck of a dramatic film at its core.

Photos Courtesy of Star Cinema YouTube Channel - Hello, Love, Goodbye Official Trailer

Rating: 4 and a half reels




Why you should watch it:
- familiar but refreshing romance drama story with a lot of emotions
- great chemistry and acting between Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- while it paints some light on the OFWs plight, we felt that the film did not put more meat into it