Premiering at this year's CAAMFest, “Radio! Ready Oh!” is up and coming Taiwanese director Hong Zipeng's first foray in to comedy. A far-cry from his horror roots – his last movie was 2017's Circle Of Noose – this quirky, moving, and self-aware feature is personal to Zipeng, and a representation of his most recent mission statement: “To cheer people up, for there is always a silver lining.” Frankly, Zipeng's silver lining couldn't have come at a better time.
“Radio! Ready Oh!” follows the perspective of shy and insecure Hsiao Yin Lin, who shows up for an interview at established and prestigious finance corporation, HimbalLife, on New Year's Eve. Much to Hsiao Lin Yin's surprise, the interviewer jumps at the chance to hire her, the truth becoming clear when she realises that she showed up to the wrong interview: this isn't HimbalLife, it's Sunshine Radio, situated a floor below. Too shy to correct her mistake, Hsiao Lin Yin is thrown in to a world inhabited by over-the-top radio personalities, led by a Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde-like radio obsessive who is determined to break into the new year with a great show. What he hasn't mentioned to his colourful crew of outcasts is that ratings are low, and this show will be their last. This is the least of their problems though, as waiting outside the building is an evil religious cult with a vendetta against the radio for insulting their all-powerful leader. Managing to reschedule her interview with HimbalLife, Hsiao Yin Lin is faced with choice: Does she leave her newfound family for a high-paying but soulless corporation, or does she commit career suicide by trying to save Sunshine Radio and its loveable bunch of misfits?
Above all, “Radio! Ready Oh!” is about finding your tribe, and embracing the idiosyncrasies and character traits that make us all different. Hsiao Yin Lin is so crippled by her low inhibition to the point that she allows people to mispronounce her name (she's commonly referred to as “Sherlyn”). However, throughout the movie, it's revealed that beneath her quiet demeanour lies true value. This is made clear as each character, one by one, emotionally spills themselves to her, trusting her. At Sunshine Radio, her insecurities are revealed to be her greatest strengths. This encourages her to accept herself for who she is, and in turn, grow. “Be Yourself” is a theme as old and used as storytelling themselves – I suppose in our exceedingly superficial world it's a message that's always relevant – and movies that employ it can easily dissolve into cliché and sappiness. Radio! Ready Oh!” doesn't even nearly break the mould in that regard, hitting all the same emotional beats that your typical feel-good sob-fest might. It's clear, though, that Zipeng has a genuine affection for his characters, and Hsiao Yin Lin in particular (he's mentioned that the film is semi-autobiographical), and it shines through the movie. If the filmmaker himself is rooting for his characters, generally so are you, and watching Hsiao Yin Lin come into her own definitely gives the emotional satisfaction of a true underdog story.
The performances themselves are pretty stacked with goofiness and exaggeration, which feels completely at home with the kind of story that Zipeng is attempting to execute here. Liang Tso Lu is unfortunately side-lined for a large chunk of the movie, but his expressive performance as the passionate and optimistic Captain of Sunshine Radio easily comprises the most laugh out loud moments in the movie. Heaven Hai and Teng Hui Lang shine as self-absorbed radio hosts Katie (AKA KatieDon'tMarry) & Jack, one, a foul-mouthed larger-than-life drama queen and the other, a pretty boy with a nerd's obsession for arthouse storytelling. At the centre of it all is a grounding and necessarily restrained performance by Joe Lin as Hsiao Yin Lin. Lin knows exactly how to shrink herself to seem like the smallest person in the room, barely moving her mouth with each word spoken, and gradually imbues confidence into the character as the movie progresses.
The movie's low production value is glaring at times, but it finds charm in healthy self-awareness. It's not for a second pretending to be “The Godfather” and comfortably fits right into the groove of absurd zaniness. The student film-esque quality to it actually helps the humour come across, and is a source of genuine hilarity, especially during the final act. Ultimately, like Hsiao Yin Lin, “Radio! Ready Oh” knows how to turn its weaknesses into its greatest strength.
