Hello, Love, Again

As much as I loved the cinematography and the premise of the story, I must say this was one of the most overrated Filipino movies ever. The follow-up to the blockbuster first film "Hello, Love, Goodbye", which was a big hit from 2019, was cliche but undeniably moving as well. I really liked how the way the characters portrayed their roles whole-heartedly. This was such a career move for them both as they take their acting powers to more mature heights. The casting was amazing, as well. The only problem I had was the writing. The first half of the film was resoundingly good, but the scenes were all over the place. I particularly loathed the transition of the scenes because it messed up the feel of the film.

There was a lot of craze about watching this movie here in Calgary simply because the setting was in the city. However, I was disappointed (but not unexpectedly) for the following reasons: 1. The movie does not portray the average Filipino migrant here. Majority of Filipinos do not opt for common law partnership but traditional church weddings.

2. The movie is too liberal, again not the typical Filipino family tradition even among the many migrants. Premarital relationship was portrayed as being normal. This makes the movie (in my opinion) not suitable for minors and even the Filipino adolescents who may be influenced by this (to put it bluntly) immoral behavior (in the eyes of the Church).

3. Furthermore, another ungodly detail in the movie was presented as something common, was an irregular union, ie gay relationship. This again is the exception rather than the rule.

4. There were several instances where immigration laws were violated, eg. Working without proper work permit was shown as if it was normal without fear of being caught.

5. There was not a single scene where any of the actors visited a church or prayed for their dire predicament. This is totally unusual since majority of Filipinos turn to God for help in times of need.

6. The movie will be undoubtedly popular to young viewers aspiring to migrate to countries like Canada. In my opinion, there was lack of sensitivity of the producers to the Filipino culture. Majority of migrants carry with them traditional Christian family values.

I do pray that there will be more people in our movie industry who would offer their work for the greater glory of God.

A pure fan service hokum and sequel to the 2019 hit. The movie changed its setting from Hong Kong to Canada where Joy (Bernardo) and Ethan (Richards) cross paths after a painful break-up during the height of the global pandemic. Joy works as a caregiver and cleaner while still pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. Ethan is trying his luck in Calgary after going bankrupt.

The movie spent much of its two-hour runtime posing the question if the former lovers will reunite or permanently go their separate ways with a script that had every trope possible for films like this. Many scenes were repetitive and overextended while there were subplots that were undernourished. Except for the two principal characters, most of the other roles were one-dimensional. Bernardo easily provided the movie's best performance while Richards was adequate but still relied on his dimpled and puppy-eye looks. Gamboa, as Ethan's bestfriend, acted as the movie's main clown and got the funniest lines that were dished out more than necessary. At least the film did not turn out to be part travelogue which usually occur in Filipino movies shot abroad.

The film could have handled the ending better with a more realistic conclusion that didn't belie Joy's character motivation. Instead, it opted for a pedestrian crowd-pleasing denouement that would explain why the film is now the Philippine movie industry's biggest moneymaker with over $22-million in ticket sales. Oh well.

Joy makes the difficult decision to leave Hong Kong for Canada to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse, which puts her and Ethan in a long-distance relationship. As they each live in their respective cities, time and the COVID-19 pandemic take their toll on their relationship. After going their separate ways, fate has again brought them together under different circumstances and as evolved individuals.

This is an excellent romantic movie with a good balance of comedy and drama. The story is simple, but the combination of immigration, a global pandemic, and a pinch of cultural humor makes it unique. The story shares how love grows and changes and how individuals must grow and change to survive and thrive. With a runtime of two hours and two minutes, some parts are unnecessary and slow the overall development of the story. This is a great movie to stream for a unique international romance.

"Hello Love Again" is a sequel to "Hello Love Goodbye". This sequel is surprisingly good even though it falls to the Star Cinema formula, "Hello Love Again" is still an OFW movie like it's preficessor with a love story as a the background. I have nothing to complain about this movie as it has brilliant acting performance from the whole cast. Great direction and most of all the majestic cinemathograpy. It's nice to see they also tackle mental illness and COVID 19.

As an overall experience, "Hello Love Again"is the most satisfying sequel I've seen this year! This the perfect conclusion to the first movie. A must see!