Written Output

1. AGUSTIN, JOHN CHRISTIAN, M.
Essay 4 - Guided Film Analysis
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HELLO, LOVE, GOODBYE
Screenplay writer: Carmi G. Raymundo, Rona Co & Cathy Garcia-Molina
Release Year: 2019
Genre: Romance / Drama
Director: Cathy Garcia-Molina
The 2019 Philippine romantic drama film, “Hello, Love, Goodbye” directed by Cathy
Garcia- Molina is currently the highest grossing film of all time. The film revolves on a struggling
overseas Filipino worker (OFW), Joy Fabregas and Ethan Del Rosario, a bartender, as they
attempt to reconcile their personal careers and love for each other in Hong Kong. The protagonist
was able to fictionalized representation of the lives of a Hong Kong-domestic helper and transform
a carefree man into a believable hopeless romantic as seen through their experiences.
Additionally, the roles are successfully made and consistently acted. Even the supporting actors
such as the friends of Joy (Bernardo), friends of Ethan (Richards) and their families give justice
on their roles. According to Pope (2005), characters give the important roles to make the story in
a film more alive. Hello, Love, Goodbye characters was able to give the story a purpose and
reason for the audience to care what happens in the film. Moreover, they changed and develop
throughout the course of the film. As an audience, characters were able to grow connection within
me.
In terms of settings, Hello, Love, Goodbye choice of setting was superb. As stated above,
the film sheds light on the experiences of Filipino working overseas, and Hong Kong is very good
choice of setting to represents the lives of OFWs. In the film, it highlights and strip off the city
typical glamour and luxuries by exposing its streets and walkways littered with cardboard mattings
populated by tired Filipinas finally living the life. According to Richard Yu (2019), there are nearly
400,000 foreign domestic workers you can meet in Hong Kong on their day off sitting on
cardboard, eating snacks from their home countries and chatting the day away which literally the
same scenario shown in the film. Settings of this film really carries some aspects of the film as it
reflects the reality, most of the scenes takes place around Hong Kong gives us idea how the film
will flow through in unpredictable manner. Furthermore, characters and settings work so
harmoniously as it fits every aspect of the film. According to Literary Terms, setting gives context
to the characters' actions in a story line. In short, it establishes the mood, reveals characters and
conflicts, and gives clues to a story's theme.
Hello, Love, Goodbye theme centers on the love story and the sacrifice of Joy and Ethan.
It departs from rom-coms in a touching tale of sacrifice and love in a city far from home. The film
highlights how the protagonists build their love story in not usual film formula. Characters was
able to break stereotypes in love. The love story takes a more drastic step out of the box. On the
other hand, sacrifice is also a central theme of Hello, Love, Goodbye in a way that film shown us
how Joy and Ethan sacrifice important things in order to open for new opportunity and chances
of achieving their dreams. The theme not eclipsed the weight and gravity of everything else that

2. AGUSTIN, JOHN CHRISTIAN, M.
Essay 4 - Guided Film Analysis
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Hello, Love, Goodbye attempts to portray. According to Jeffrey Scott (2012), theme is the most
important element of a good screenplay because it’s the driving intention behind the film. Hello,
Love, Goodbye themes give its characters and events meaning that often leads emotional
involvement and release to their audience. In a few possible words, ‘great theme creates great
drama’ (McConnell, 2019).
The plot of this film is very straight forward but not predictable, the movie has a lot of
surprises in store to its viewers for beginning up to the end. Additionally, the sequence of the film
proves that is more than just a love story, as its highlights the various real problems the overseas
Filipino workers experience in Hong Kong. According to the website ‘Film Daft’, the plot considers
the most important element of the story or a film as it literally the sequence of events, and in this
sequence, the audience learn more about the characters, setting and the moral story in the course
of the film. Hello, Love, Goodbye embodies a clever and unique way of unfolding, and it takes the
audience to the enriching journey which is not made of falter, not overly dramatic and surprisingly
humorous. Some of the subplots might be excessive but despite of those minor glitches, the movie
works finest as an expanded view of OFWs life.
In terms of conflict, there were a lot of issues and problems rises on the film but one conflict
that really stand out and circulates on the film is the burden of responsibility of the protagonist. In
this responsibility there were also minor conflicts appear like problems on decision-making or
making a choice, struggle on love, family-related issues like sacrificing family unity and personal
issues. Hello, Love, Goodbye conflicts really takes a big part in carrying the story and most
Filipinos can relate to the plight of the characters. From my own perspective, I find the conflicts of
the film really outstanding as it mirrors the reality and show about the difficulties and complications
of life – not just overseas workers but for everyone.
To sum it up, all the elements of a narrative are present in the film “Hello, Love, Goodbye”,
relatable and realistic tale of the ups and downs of the domestic workers in Hong Kong. It touches
the theme of love in different ways such as romantic, love for family, love for money and self-love.
Characters are well-casted and fits their role, they not let viewers down in their artistry. They not
show any traces on conscious effort to act their character out. The setting is an outstanding choice
to really show audience unique perspective of the realities of being domestic helpers. Additionally,
Hong Kong landscape, inner streets and infrastructure were awesome and made every scene
more striking and relevant to the story. Plot and conflicts were out of the box, gives us a roller
coaster of emotions and creates a big impact on the film.