Since it’s premiere in the Philippines, Hello Love Goodbye has reaped success on both local and international cinemas. With a reported 17,005,774.30 USD in worldwide earnings, the film which stars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards, and directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina has become the highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time. It has also given Bernardo and Garcia-Molina the distinction of being the only respective Filipino actress and director to have two films that earned over 17 million USD each. These earnings are expected to grow even more, as the film is currently touring Vietnam and the rest of Asia Pacific.
Much of its success rests in the very plot. On the one hand, Hello, Love, Goodbye tells different parts of a love story: from sweet beginnings to heart-rending endings, to the little moments in between that make staying in love worthwhile.
Beyond romance, however, Hello Love Goodbye is a bittersweet ode to personal sacrifice. This is especially evident in Joy (played by Kathryn Bernardo), a Filipina domestic helper based in Hong Kong. The film is a social commentary on the lives of migrant workers like Joy, who will do anything to make ends meet, whether it’s working long hours to the point of exhaustion, taking on multiple jobs at the risk of deportation, or entering talent contests in the hopes of winning big.
While Hello, Love, Goodbye is told from a Filipino point of view, the idea of sacrificing everything for your family is universal in that even non-Filipinos can relate. The character development of Joy paints a realistic picture of the struggle to simultaneously balance one’s sense of individuality, the responsibility to one’s family, and desire for romance.
Prior to filming, Bernardo spent a month immersing herself in what she considers her most important movie role to date. It was a new and fulfilling experience for the young actress; apart from learning what homesickness felt like, it was the one movie that deepened her respect and admiration for migrant workers.
If there is any take away from Hello, Love, Goodbye, it is to never forego our own happiness. “Being a migrant worker isn’t for everybody because it’s not easy,” she explains. “You don’t want to resent the idea of moving somewhere because you had to, and eventually wind up sad. You will suffer. But if you go somewhere with a full sense of self and can say ‘I will work at this because I want it, ‘ something great awaits you.”
Garcia-Molina also attributes the film’s record-breaking success to the pairing of Kathryn and Alden Richards. Hello, Love, Goodbye marked their first on-screen project together. In the Philippines, Kathryn is linked to on-and-off-screen partner Daniel Padilla, who she has starred in many films and television proejcts with. Alden is one half of the AlDub “love team”. Short for Alden and Yaya Dub (better known as Maine Mendoza), he rose to fame as part of the afternoon variety show Eat Bulaga. “Maybe the new combination drew curiousity, especially when it started receiving good feedback from fans and non-fans alike,” Cathy says.
Hello, Love, Goodbye premieres on November 7, 2019 in the following theaters across Thailand: Major Cineplex – Ratchayothin, Paragon Cineplex, Mega Cineplex, Esplanade Cineplex Ratchadapisek and on November 14, 2019 at Lido Cinema.
