In Anselm Chan's debut full-length film, dark comedy blends with romance in a twisted exploration of love and commitment. Although closed-minded and traditional in its execution, “Ready O/R Knot” still has a significant number of darkly comedic moments.
“Ready O/R Knot” is Screening as Part of Asian Pop-up Cinema Season 12
Chan's movie follows Guy and Heidi five years into their relationship, and faced with a serious dilemma: Whether or not it is time to marry and form a family. They are equally in love, and their relationship is going strong. But while Heidi is ready to settle down and believes that marriage is proof of one's everlasting love, Guy holds the belief that marrying Heidi will result in him being tied down to a woman that he will one day grow distant from. Heidi consults her girlfriends for advice, and Guy consults the guys. What follows is an outright battle of the sexes, as Heidi plots devious ways of getting pregnant—with marriage as an end goal—as quickly as possible, and Guy schemes up a handful of contraceptive counter-strategies. The result is a rom-com escalation to hurt and heartbreak which is sometimes funny, mostly uncomfortable with its traditional assumptions regarding gender expectations and various instances of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Yet even though this might feel disappointing and even jarring at times to progressive viewers, those who manage to watch the film from start to finish are surely bound to chuckle from time to time due to moments of witty dark humor.
Outstanding performances by Carlos Chan and Michelle Wai as indecisive lovers competing for the sake of their future makes for an enjoyable and convincing watch. More than anything, “Ready O/R Knot” is at its funniest when viewers get glimpses into the relationship of Guy's friend and his partner, played by Tommy Chu and Hedwig Tam. Perhaps the funniest moment in the entire film occurs when Tommy Chu comes back from a brothel, and Hedwig Tam's insistent questioning forces Chu to spew out a number of seemingly irrational alibis—With his wife beside him and listening in on the phone call, Chu speaks in code words with his male friends over the telephone and they each use a cryptic book to decipher the mystery of the alibi.
For a first-time directorial effort, Anselm Chan navigates the romantic comedy genre with a semblance of familiarity. When the two main lovers initially fall in love, slow, intense zoom-ins on their faces show their mounting emotions; when things begin to go sour as the movie reaches its climax, Guy and Heidi are gloomy and apart from one another, with parallel panels contrasting their loneliness. Although there are moments throughout “Ready O/R Knot” which are especially corny, campy and overdramatic, it is all to be expected when working with a romantic comedy—these tropes are sometimes inevitable.
“Ready O/R Knot” might sometimes feel sappy in its content or problematic in its execution, but it is a consistently engaging film with moments of humor for all viewers, regardless of their taste or ethics. Anselm Chan needs to work on a respectful portrayal of women in his films and avoid gender-based stereotypes, but for the first full-length film he has ever directed is an enjoyable romantic comedy for those going into a late-night screening with no expectations.
