A young man from Taiwan travels to Okinawa to find love. He carries with him a bottle that contained a note requesting that he finds his way to the island to meet his true love. Unfortunately, the man has always been cursed with bad luck, and after finally meeting the woman of his dreams, self doubt begins to sink in.
Comedy can be a tricky genre, in so far as it becomes the most subjectively critiqued format. Ultimately, what makes something funny for some will fall completely flat with others, depending on their idea of humor. With this in mind, “The Chosen One” is one of those films that builds to a deplorable joke that hides behind an innocent veneer for the bulk of the production. This is difficult to really discuss without ruining the film, but in brief, the romantic interest is exposed for not being as pretty as what was once thought, and the man deems himself unlucky because he did not find a beautiful girl. This scene is further driven into the ground as a more ‘suitable' suitor runs in fear at this reveal. Unfortunately, the conclusion is juvenile at best, and body shaming at the worst.
In spite of the poorly conceived conclusion, “The Chosen One” is not without it's merits. Most notably, the short film does show an understanding of comedic timing, and is able to craft moments of great amusement. The film also does a great job of location work to help sell the beauty of Okinawa. Finally, the actors inject a lot of humor with over the top performances that, thankfully, stop short of becoming obnoxious.
“The Chosen One” was a passable comedy up until its conclusion, which ruined my experience with the film. However, it does contain enough positive elements that it could appeal to some comedy fans. As when I read reviews of comedies, I advise to take my disgust with a grain of salt and give the production a chance. However, if my critique sounds reminiscent of comedies that use female ‘ugliness' as a punch line, that made for miserable experiences in the past, this production should be avoided all together.
