Hello, Love, Goodbye
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.However, her father Celso is adamant that the family should migrate to Hong Kong to be reunited with his estranged wife Lita, who is married to Wayne, a Hongkonger who abuses her.While working illegally as a bar tout in Lan Kwai Fong,[6] Joy catches the attention of the Filipino bartender Ethan, whom she rebuffs.Lita confesses that she no longer loves Celso, who forced her into a sham marriage with her then-employer for her to gain permanent residency and later bring the family to Hong Kong.[27] 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.[28] 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.""[29] 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."[30] Ricky Lo of The Philippine Star gave a generally positive review of the film particularly the comic relief provided by Abella, Bautista, and Entrata.[42] 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.[44] 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.[45] 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.