Say Hello To "Hello Goodbye"

      I rarely blog about T.V. programming--generally there is very little out there I find remarkable. Which is not to say there aren't a handful of good shows we watch regularly but most of those I'm pretty sure you're already familiar with.

   Today, however, I wanted to mention a new show on CBC, one of Canada's T.V. networks. It is currently one of our favourites.

   It's called "Hello Goodbye" and stars a gentleman named Dale Curd. The premise is almost excruciatingly simple--Dale visits Canada's busiest airport, Toronto's Pearson International, and randomly interviews people who are there either waiting for loved ones to show up or seeing them off.

   As simple as this sounds, the results are always astoundingly poignant.

   Dale begins each interview (as the people are standing there waiting) by asking them who they are waiting for and why. Through a series of questions he then goes on to investigate the intricacy of their relationship with that person. The stories are never that dissimilar from our own but he has the ability to illuminate them through his questions.

   You have a mother, waiting to see the husband and daughter she hadn't seen in ten years. There is an elderly British woman, waiting to see the sister she hasn't seen in twenty years. A pregnant same-sex couple, waiting for a sister to arrive for a baby shower. Those are some of the "hellos".

   On the "goodbye" side, there is a nun who is leaving all her friends in Canada to serve in a third world country, knowing there is very little likelihood she'll ever be able to return. A man and his two young sons who are embarking on a year-long tour of the world, to honour their deceased mother's memory.

   The shows have themes, such as "Wish You Were Here", "Hard Choices" and "Honour The Past". All of the themes essentially explore the nature of human relationships and the different ways we are important to each other. Many times people are asked how their loved one has changed their lives. All of their answers make you stop and ask yourself some of the same questions. It is almost impossible to sit through an episode and not be reduced to tears, be forewarned.

   

Dale Curd

Coincidentally, Dale Curd was one of the co-hosts of the last T.V. show I recommended in this forum---"Life Story Project". You can read that post here. That show was similar in that Dale and Andrea Syrtash found ordinary people out there and were then able to bring out a wide variety of amazing stories. "Hello Goodbye" accomplishes something very similar.

   When he is done interviewing people, Dale parts company and the film crew there with him then hangs around and either films the arrival of the loved one or their departure. As the interview is going on, snippets of many of the other travelers in the airport are shown, as they greet each other. The music throughout this is also amazing.

   "Hello Goodbye" serves as a reminder of all our common bonds. This past year, I had the occasion to be at Pearson International four separate times---dropping off and picking up both my son and my wife and mother-in-law as they headed out on and then returned from world travels. Had any one stopped and asked us pointed questions as to why we were there and how had our loved ones affected us, I can only imagine a similar tearful response. The show is really about all of us, so take a boo and remember the kleenex!