SEQUELS EXIST to strengthen character arcs and propel the story in a cathartic manner.
Hello, Love, Again, however, falls short of this expectation, stripping away the grounded foundation that its predecessor had already succeeded in establishing.
Hello, Love, Again is a 2024 Philippine romantic drama film directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, who is known for directing romantic comedy films such as One More Chance. Theatrically released on Nov. 13, 2024, it is the sequel to Garcia-Sampana’s most notable work, Hello, Love, Goodbye, which was released in 2019.
It resumes the love story between overseas Filipino workers Joy (Kathryn Bernardo), who now works in Canada, and Ethan (Alden Richards), who resides in Hong Kong, as their relationship faces challenges in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Right off the bat, the film felt like a congested recap because it tried to introduce several elements at once before reaching the rising action. It picks up from where the predecessor ended, showcasing Joy’s life in Canada all the way to Ethan’s proposal to her after he flies to visit Joy, in such a short span of time.
The movie also constantly jumped between the past and the present, which would not have been a problem if it were done in a more organized manner. An example of this is how it tackled the airport scene in the beginning where Joy is eager to meet Ethan in an airport. After their reunion, the film suddenly shifts to a different time, where it shows Joy with Uno (Kevin Kreider)–a character who was abruptly introduced and whose purpose was explained much later in the film–in the same airport, before jumping back to the present.
Everything steadies by the end of the first half, where the conflict is finally established. However, it was also where the film truly faltered in justifying Joy’s character just so it would lead to a conclusion in Ethan’s favor. In contrast to the first half, the second half of the movie was excessively dragged.
In Hello, Love, Goodbye, Joy was a strong and independent person who sacrificed love just to achieve her ambitions. In the sequel, however, she suddenly became a symbol of weakness whose ambitions and reputation fell into shambles.
Ethan’s cheating incident in the latter part of the film was an unexpected and poorly executed plot device. It seemed as though it was used as a last resort to conclude their story. On the brighter side, the incident was able to reduce the value of Joy’s character by imposing a sense of fragility that contrasted with her original portrayal, thus giving the film an important conflict to build upon. However, this may leave a sour taste for fans who admired Joy’s journey as a strong and independent overseas Filipino worker in the first film.
The ending of the film presents another problem that raises questions about Joy’s character, a development that further erodes the persona she had established.
Because of these elements, the sequel almost appears like a tragic romance with a problematic message, particularly from Joy’s perspective. The film attempts to remind the audience that Ethan is Joy’s home and true love, yet much of Joy’s pain stems directly from Ethan’s mistakes. This
Sampana failed to smoothly portray the couple’s story that many hope will culminate in a sweet and romantic happy ending. At some point, the movie felt as if it were forcing the audience to sympathize with Ethan, who does not even show any kind of redemption for his flaws and wrongdoings; while Joy, whose ambitions were already going up in flames, did all the heavy lifting just to make their on-and-off relationship work.
In an attempt to reach box office success, the film seemed to have been forced to meet certain popular expectations at the expense of a better plot and character development.
Fortunately, Kathryn and Alden’s performance compensated for the film’s setbacks. Although in certain scenes, Alden’s acting felt more convincing despite Kathryn having been in the industry for longer. For instance, there is a scene where Joy points her finger towards Ethan while recounting the cheating incident. Joy’s burst of anger, as heard and seen in her voice and body movement, lacked the intensity that would have made her outrage more authentic and less awkward.
In contrast, Alden stepped up from his previous acting roles. His capability to deliver emotional scenes was effective, especially in the part where he grieves over the death of his father while talking to Joy on the phone.
On a lighter note, Jhim (Joross Gamboa) succeeded in taking the comedic aspect of the film to greater heights with his playful and funny punchlines, oftentimes purging the heavy tensions that constantly appeared throughout the film. However, it goes without saying that some of his scenes seemed forced.
The cinematography of the film was mediocre at best. In some scenes where Joy and Ethan are talking to each other, the background was noticeably rendered with a greenscreen.
The use of some of Ben&Ben’s tracks also felt repetitive, which seemed to be a common flaw among recently released romance films like Love You Long Time (2023) and Rewind (2023). However, the film did feature an original song titled Palagi by TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan.
Overall, Sampana’s Hello, Love, Again is a sequel that discredited all the aspects that made its predecessor succeed as a film focused on the lives and romance of two foreign workers with ambitious goals. While it was mainly carried by Kathryn and Alden’s performance and chemistry, the sequel felt more like a shallow reimagining–exchanging genuine connection and romance for forced drama and surface-level storytelling for the sake of adhering to a tried and tested formula. F
