Hello, Love, Again (2024) Review: Is Redemption of Love possible?

Following the immense box office success and praise received for ‘Hello, Love, Goodbye’, it won’t be a surprise if Filipina director Cathy Garcia-Sampana’s sequel surpasses the revenue projections of the first movie. Unexpectedly, in an almost unprecedented case, I found the second film more enjoyable and emotionally connected than the first film.

As intentions collide with stark reality, one might question: What does ‘home’ mean to you? Is it a person or is it a place or is it an inanimate object?

Filipino stars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards reunite in this movie as Joy and Ethan. The first movie ended with Joy leaving Hong Kong in pursuit of a better life. Naturally, this movie begins just where the last one left off—  Joy lands in Alberta, Canada to begin her new life. Meanwhile, Ethan continues to work on his bar back in Hong Kong and they talk constantly as they simultaneously navigate their new roles at work and their long-distance relationship.

Chasing the “I don’t love you”  journey of Joy and Ethan from 2019 to the present, about 15 minutes into the film is the twist in the tale, where a financially secure Joy heads to the Calgary airport in 2024. As the story unravels, it dawns on the viewer that all good things can come to an end, therefore it’s better to cherish every moment rather than waste time unnecessarily arguing over irrelevant matters. Luckily, Joy and Ethan are presented with another chance to seal their love story.

To make ends meet as a newcomer, Joy works as a domestic helper, providing care and cleaning, but she struggles when things abruptly start to go wrong. As Joy paces against time in search of a solution, their routine interactions reduce. Owing to missing her considerably, Ethan joins her in Canada.

In order to assist her in caregiving activities, Ethan initially accompanies Joy by helping with the cleaning part of it but is disgusted by the amount of literal shit he has to deal with. While simultaneously shouldering multiple daily wage jobs in a depleting economy, their desperation begins to mirror their wavering affection. Despite his disdain, Ethan and Joy keep striving to help keep themselves financially afloat. But gradually, as the COVID-19 era sets in, the couple’s relationship begins to disintegrate as Ethan has the option to be lax at work, but Joy doesn’t, causing several disagreements between them. 

With a backdrop of the beautiful Canadian countryside, this film highlights the harsh reality of the difficulties faced by newcomers and the intricacy of work environments as a domestic helper, caretaker, cleaner or delivery person.

Any immigrant across the world would unanimously empathize with Joy as she engages in a run of ceaseless daily effort, persevering towards establishing a solid financial foundation in a foreign country.

Furthermore, notwithstanding endeavours by others urging her to take the easier path and go back to the Philippines or Hong Kong, Joy’s formidable character and determination to succeed in Canada remain unalterable. Even when things go south.

Director Cathy skilfully combines the aforementioned elements with Ethan’s reappearance to emphasize the central couple’s incessant love for each other, which literally stands the test of time.

The fact that Kathryn and Alden reprised their roles as Joy and Ethan is unmistakable evidence that the Filipino film industry has immensely talented performers. Their embodiment of the characters is channelled through the maturity portrayed through their personalities as they navigate adult life including the concepts of love, loss and redemption. Their acting is phenomenal in this edition, overshadowing their own prior performance in the first instalment. Particularly if you were the first member of your family to immigrate, the desperation in their voices, gestures, and even their eyes pierces through the screen.

All in all, to each of us ‘home’ can mean anything. Even if you lose your home, you will find it once again elsewhere. You may find your home in Canada or you might find your home in a person or maybe both, but the unwavering truth remains that each of us always has something that we can love to call ‘home’. So, Hello, Love, Again.