A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush
"Hello, Love, Goodbye" Movie Review - The Luxury of Choice
Struggling with finances, Joy must set aside her dreams to fend the family's needs and work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong, and in there she'll meet the man that will change her life forever.
The airport is crowded for sure, with a river of people flooding the lobby and moving so fast and in one direction, like a busy lane of worker ants, leaving their nest to forage for food, or a flock of birds migrating from one place to another, carrying a burden and the only thing that keeps them going is that one bright hope — a hope that wherever destiny puts them, there's always an opportunity that will somehow change their lives.
And in that flock enters Joy (Kathryn Bernardo), a nursing graduate and a breadwinner who, as the movie slowly explains, set asides all her dreams to support the family and become a domestic helper in Hong Kong. But in her heart, Joy knows that she wanted something else. Sure, it's a responsibility that she is so willing to fullfill, a risk she would take without a blink of an eye, a gamble that she will spend all her chances on, for the sake of the family, but deep within her, she knows that she wanted to do something more — to be more.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is Ethan (Alden Richards), a bartender in Hong Kong who, unlike Joy, had much of a stable opportunity — a dreamer who once dropped his cards to chase after a skinny love that not only broke his heart but also deeply affected his relationship with his family. And because of these frustrations amd regrets, Ethan finds himself chasing nothing anymore. It's as if he doesn't know what he wanted, just living, but not alive.
But Joy, true to her name, sparks something within Ethan. With both employing the opposite characteristics, destiny or should I say the writer, knows how to inject an effective chemistry that will shake these characters next course of actions. And then the unevitable romantic buildup in which, as formulaic as it was, works and blends effectively to their indivual woes and doesn't feel too shoehorned to justify a genre or force an experimental love team which will surely start an uproar from both Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards' fans.
The film has a central theme about choice, or might as well the luxury of it and the movie centers it to Joy's story. Joy was presented a choice, (as oppose to Ethan who has a more freedom to choose to be honest), a choice that was already made for her governed by the laws of a contract and the stakes are high if she doesn't abide. On that one bus ride, Joy saw her ex-boyfriend with his wife and they had a brief catching-up. This scene reminds Joy of the life she once imagined for herself, a sense of fulfillment being with a person she wanted to be with while realizing her personal goals, and I thought it was one of the film's best moments — it was subtle and yet speaks volumes.
These limited choices can also be seen in Joy's colleagues as the movie briefly focuses the perspective on them, letting the audiences know that these side characters are as important as her in this setting, making the story richer and more believable. I really liked that the film successfully manages to make the characters feel like a real human being with real people problems that many of us can relate to, instead of just being fixated to a fictional romanticized subplots that doesn't add anything to the narrative itself.
Acting-wise, there's no denying that Kathryn Bernardo will pull this through. In fact, this film not only proved her capabilities as an effective female love interest but also as a solo actress, able to showcase growth and maturity with the aid of Cathy Molina's seasoned directorial style. Personally, I thought it was Kathryn's best movie performance to date. Alden Richards is also great in this film and he proves that he's not just a one-note matineé, although I thought that he could still give something more out of what he had already delivered.
Overall, the film is not just a love story, it's also an eye opener about the state of our Filipino workers overseas. Sure, there are other films that better represents that specific topic, but I thought they did just enough to prove a point and it works well with the romantics of it all.
Let's Be Reel
"Hello, Love, Goodbye", three humble words that perfectly encapsulates the film's pacing and overall narrative. An accidental love affair greeted by a bittersweet goodbye, and while it operates on the same lovestruck tropes, it is still a beautifully structured and well-written film with strong performances to boot.
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