“Selfish ba na piliin ko naman ang sarili ko?” – Joy

(Am I selfish if for once, I choose myself first?)

“So, hindi ako enough na baguhin ang isip mo?” – Ethan

(So, Am I not enough to change your mind?)

Setting another record, A Film by Cathy Molina, has reached 800 million pesos total gross in Philippines so far and more than 2.20 million dollars worldwide, including a sold out premiere here in the Middle East, Hello, Love, Goodbye starring Kathryn Bernardo as Joy, and Alden Richards as Ethan, is still breaking records until this moment.

With the help of ABSCBN Films, this not-so-expected-duo has become one of the best-selling love teams of all Filipino Movies.

The film revolves around Joy, played by Kathryn, who is an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Hong Kong, working as a domestic helper and Ethan, played by Alden, who is a easy-going bartender.

Life for Joy is never easy; As a domestic helper in Hong Kong, she cannot get any other work aside from being a DH. In need of a large sum of money, she seeks for another job for her to finance her migration papers to Canada in order to work there as a nurse, which what she really majored and graduated on when she was in college. With just months away until her contract ends, her employer tried to end the contract because of financial problems, but Joy begged to finish the remaining months and will just accept half of her salary.

Supporting his whole family in the Philippines, she needed to strive hard to earn. As agreed with her employer, she will be staying for the day and will seek a job during dark. Joy managed to get a job at a bar however with the risk of getting caught she then ran away from the police, during her first day at the job and that’s when she met Ethan, a bartender whose been living in Hong Kong for a very long time. He is working to support his father who cannot walk and attend a job anymore and to bring his other brother to Hong Kong.

The two met on the peak of their lives and one thing was for sure, Ethan had something for Joy but the career-driven Joy, doesn’t want to ruin her plans and decided to keep her path straight, and that is to go to Canada and to petition her family to migrate in Canada as well.

But Ethan, within few months, tried to express her love to Joy by helping her sell her goods online to avoid illegal business and accompanying her to everything that she does. Basically, Joy fell for Ethan after sometime, however, Joy is still going pushing through with all her plans. Ethan decided to put up a bar of his own and offer Joy an investor permit so she can do whatever she wants in Hong Kong but in the end, Joy didn’t want anything else but to pursue her dreams.

The two decided to stick with plan-Joy migrated to Canada while Ethan managed a bar of his own. The two parted ways to achieve both their goals in life and agreed to someday meet again to finally continue their paused story.

During the movie, I had so many realisation. The movie has taught the viewers so many things especially when it comes to the reality that OFWs are facing every day in another countries away from their families.

So, here are some of the things the movie highlighted for everyone and what it taught us:

• OFW. Yes I am one of them and every OFW has a story. In the film they focused on showing the lives on OFWs especially the ones who are working in Hong Kong. Every Filipino family has a member who is an OFW or knows someone who is. There are millions of Filipinos working in another country to be able to provide for their families back in the Philippines; some are even lucky enough to get a good job while some are struggling to survive their jobs only to be able to feed something to their families that are thousand miles away from them.
• Long Distance Relationships. Well, many people say long distance relationships are hard to maintain, coz it’s you and your partner breathing the same air but not the waking up at the same time nor walking in the same land. It’s hard but when you have goals to follow, distance and time are just nothing. Well, some says trust is the main thing you have to consider when it comes to LDR which I personally agree on because if you really love someone, distance will just be distance.
• Residency. Some of the OFW, by living in the country where they are working, it is their benefit to get a residency or if they are working for years just like in USA and Canada, they will even get a citizenship. In the movie, Ethan was working to stay and get his residency in Hong Kong which will give him more benefits while Joy wants to have a working permit to petition her whole family in Canada and possibly get a residence there as well. Who can blame them if the life that the other countries give to them is way better than in Philippines? Most of the time, the currency is higher compare to Philippines that’s why if you send money to Philippines, your foreign will either go double or more.
• Family. We have our responsibilities towards our families and in the movie, it showed that Ethan and Joy both are struggling to make living and make their families be in a good place. It definitely showed the every day life of  an OFW. We don’t just go to another country to work but also to provide for our family’s needs and make sure we give them a great life.

• Future. We don’t know what will happen in the next few years, we only know that we dream of a certain thing and we are working hard for it. Sometimes, we have to choose our future more than anything. In the movie, Joy chose to pursue her dreams rather than live in regret by not chasing her dreams.
• Past Relationships. We all have our own past and we bring it with us forever. Some of the OFWs leave Philippines not just for work but also to find freedom from their past and to start a new life but somehow life is playing back to you by sending your past again in your life just to see if you really have moved on or grew up for better or latter.
• Selfless and Selfish. Two things differ in so many aspects, most OFWs are selfless when it comes to earning for their family. Some don’t even eat enough just to save money to be sent to Ph and some thinks about their family’s needs first before theirs. And sometimes it is right to be selfish somehow, selfish by choosing yourself first after so many years of taking care of them coz you need to know your needs too and think about loving yourself as well.

An unexpected team up; Alden is from GMA and Kath is from ABSCBN and many people were hesitant to believe that they will pull out a good movie when it was first announced but when I watched the movie, it was like a tandem meant to be seen all over the world. Despite the differences they pulled one hell of a movie. Kathryn excelled more with her acting and I bet she will be better movies after movies. She’s one of the best actress that the Star Magic has produced.

Alden on the other hand, despite of the flop on his TV Drama in GMA (Victor Magtanggol) receiving mixed reactions from viewers before. He is also known for his famous team up AlDub but his performace in this movie is however better than anything he did, and many people say he looks good in ABSCBN’s camera lenses (It was a joke, but seems quite on point). This is the first time I liked a movie where he is the main character and he learned that from the amazing director, Cathy Molina.

The movie had so many things to shout to the world and i bet many people was touched by the movie.

This is not the first time a movie tackled OFWs life. Just like the movie Dubai starring Claudine Barretto, Aga Muhlach & John Lloyd Cruz, Milan starring Piolo Pascual & Claudine Barretto, these two movies are the OG of the OFW-related movies.

For those who haven’t seen the movie, you better do, coz you won’t regret watching an eye opener for the Filipinos who are not OFWs. You’ll see the struggle of our friends who are working outside the country.

I’d give the movie 90% wonderroanne rating!