Sunday, April 14, 2024

Wide to Close-up Love Abroad: A "Hello Love, Goodbye" Review


Because Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards are trending nowadays, I became curious about Hello Love, Goodbye. Based on the photos and videos, Kathryn and Alden have really good chemistry and there are also rumors that the materials going around are just for the advanced promotion of Hello Love, Goodbye 2.

The film is about 2 Filipinos in Hongkong who are in the adulting stage. Kathryn is Joy Marie, a domestic helper looking to get enough money to apply to become a nurse in Canada. Because it's not allowed to take up other jobs in Hong Kong when you're categorized as a domestic helper, one time she had to run from the police while racketeering and that's how she met Ethan, who is a bartender about to become a Hong Kong resident.

I like how they used the camera shot type to show the closeness of the characters. The first encounter of Joy Marie and Ethan, the shots are separate for them. Then, they have a long talk but since they are not close yet, a wide shot is used. As they develop deep feelings for one another, they gradually had close-up frames.



I commend Alden because this role is quite different from the obedient characters he played before. However, it is noticeable that Kathryn's acting has more layers compared to him. Kakai Bautista and Maymay Entrata are underused here while Jerome Ponce and Anthony Jennings who just had cameos were able to make an impression.

I rate this 2.5 out of 5 stars. There are times when it becomes dragging especially during the heavily dramatic scenes between the two leads and there are unnatural blockings like Kath hugging Alden's back. It's weird because I wish they had more "PDA" (public display of affection) before. However, many great lessons were posited here like balancing self-love and sacrifice as well as letting go and trusting the person you love.

Director: Cathy Garcia-Sampana
Screenwriters: Carmi Raymundo, Enrico C. Santos

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