Philippine cinema is oversaturated with Romantic comedies and dramas. But how did Hello, Love, Goodbye stand out enough to make it the highest-grossing film in the country?

Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards are two of the biggest names in the Philippine entertainment industry, but nobody ever expected this pair to come together.

Bernardo’s name is tied to Daniel Padilla, her loveteam of 8 years. Meanwhile, Richards and Maine Mendoza, also called AlDub, has been grabbing headlines for several years. The stars are also part of the biggest rival TV networks in the country. To say it was fate that led them to make Hello, Love, Goodbye is truly apt.

The movie is directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, the same visionary behind the most “quotable” romantic movies in the Philippines such as One More Chance. This may be why people hold on to their movie tickets expecting to feel their hearts flutter as they watch a feel-good romance.

However, the film transcends its romantic plotline. Perhaps it’s even fair to say that the accidental lovers are only secondary to the heavy tone of the film –making ends meet, handling responsibilities to your family, and chasing after your dreams.

Plotline

Set in the vibrant and busy city of Hong Kong, the film follows Joy, an ambitious domestic helper. But Joy is more than her current job title – she was once a nurse back in the Philippines. If you have been to the Philippines, this is not a new situation. Professionals leaving their homeland for blue-collar jobs abroad that pay better is highly common.

After Joy’s contract with her boss expires in a few months, she plans on heading to Canada so she can save up money and get a green card for her family.

Joy meets a young bartender named Ethan on an illegal side hustle she took. Ethan, a lothario with his ex’s name tattooed on his arm (Tanya, which Joy reads as “tanga,” the Filipino term for stupid) pursues Joy. The bartender clearly has tons of personal baggage, too; but in between loudly slurping big bowls of noodles, selling power banks, joining a local pageant, and saying “I don’t love you” to each other, the two inevitably fall deeply in love with each other.

However, Joy has to leave for Canada so it turns out all their special in-between moments was a prelude to a time bomb.