To call modern dating indescribably frustrating would almost be selling it short. I often thank my lucky stars that I found a serious boyfriend before the era of dating apps took over everything. Poor Iris (Molly Gordon) is unfortunately not so lucky. She seems to have bagged herself the perfect boyfriend. By all accounts, Isaac (Logan Lerman) on paper fits that bill, whether he’s cooking for her, having deep conversations, or engaging in playful sexual encounters. Being “perfect,” however, may come with a price. What happens when the fantasy we’ve created in our own heads doesn’t match up with the reality? In Oh, Hi!, writer/director Sophie Brooks imagines a scenario that does not feel too far from reality. Fueled by the raw power of a woman scorned, Oh, Hi! expertly deconstructs relationship dynamics, cuffed to a madcap, darkly comedic energy.
Iris and Isaac are headed on the road for their first serious trip together: a two-day stay at a quaint farmhouse in Hill Falls! In the lead up to their arrival, we get a glimpse at the nature of their bond. No doubt they seem aligned when it comes to humor, attraction, and even Dolly Parton tunes. He goes down on her with no complaints, displaying actual enthusiasm towards the activity. These early scenes shared by the couple ride high on the strengths of Lerman and Gordon; the former has been an iteration of Internet boyfriend for ages, whilst the latter played an awful girlfriend and a conversely great one in Animal Kingdom and The Bear, respectively. Lerman has certainly come a long way from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and evolved into a properly hunky love interest. Together, their chemistry comes across as genuine connection. This duo checks all the right boxes, and we see how utterly charismatic Isaac is to everyone they encounter. An awkward run-in at a local town strawberry stand sees Isaac complimented not once but twice—first for his beautiful eyes, and secondly for his soft hands.
High Falls becomes a character of its own accord well before Isaac gets chained to the bed. As they enter the town, Iris notices a sign that incorrectly shows the name as “O High Falls.” Their home away from home is uniquely structured and unconventionally beautiful, with the tease of bondage equipment Iris discovers in the closet. They go for a dip in the nearby lake, still seemingly in the early throes of young love. Local weirdo Steve (David Cross) accosts them, insisting that this is “not your playground.” Cross’s deadpan delivery serves as a true highlight amongst the ensemble. It’s all a little off-kilter, almost horror movie-esque. Certainly, if Oh, Hi! wanted to go down that avenue, it lays the groundwork rather well for sinister misdeeds to unfold. Instead, it takes a turn for the comically absurd. Utilizing some chains, Isaac fastens Iris to the bed for some kinky role playing. She promptly freaks out. Being the good guy that he is, Isaac offers to take her place so that they can commence the sizzling fun.
Naturally, getting Isaac into a most vulnerable state provides a unique role reversal. Rather than the usual damsel in distress being entrapped by her captor, it’s Isaac who cannot escape. An unhinged Iris presents him an ultimatum once their relationship hits a wall: give her twelve hours to show what they could be together, and she promises to set Isaac free. What follows is a series of increasingly hilarious scenarios, built organically from the offbeat humorous asides provided by Gordon. In Iris’s obsessive state longing to gain the approval from a man who clearly was not who she thought he was, she endears herself to the audience in a surprising way. In a differently structured film, we would root for Isaac to escape the bonds of his captivity. Teaching Mrs. Tingle and Gerald’s Game took a decidedly different spin on the whole chained to a bed angle; Oh, Hi! aims to teach its characters lessons through a high stakes scenario and bondage gear.
At the beginning of Oh, Hi!, it felt a bit jarring to mesh with the tone that was being attempted. These worries quickly fell to the wayside as we observe Iris and Isaac in their most primal state. By the time Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Kenny (John Reynolds) are folded into the fray, the dark comedy ratchets up to an even more effective crescendo. None of this would work though without the committed turns from Lerman and Gordon. The film manages to be sexy without showing too much skin, though in the case of Lerman, that might throw some people for a loop. By embracing the genre-bending tonal shifts and clever dialogue, Sophie Brooks proves herself a filmmaker to watch. If her future efforts are even half as engaging as Oh, Hi!, she will have a gaggle of devoted fans ready to therapize whatever she puts out next.
You’ll always have Oh, Hi!, once it debuts exclusively in theatres on Friday, July 25th.
