Fridae

In line with his outstanding comedy writing and directorial prowess established in his first two feature films (Unarmed Combat and 18 Grams of Love), Han Yew Kwang should be a household name by now. What he didn’t count on was for Singapore’s Media Development Authority to take a perverse distribution strategy – hemming his films into the niche art film festivals and marketing his very likeable works to only the regional Singapore and Malaysia markets.

It is by such vagaries of fate that Perfect Rivals is officially Mr Han’s “first commercial feature”, featuring a script that is more mainstream in sensibility than his works so far (though not lacking in supply of his trademark quirky style) and a cast carefully selected for the best exposure in the Sinosphere that its production budget can buy.

Perfect Rivals is set in Penang, where a pair of former lovers and current enemies engage in the unarmed combat in the cut-throat world of retail – more precisely, the barbecued pork business. The old man and his protégés take the courageous old school, low tech route while the ladies are all about modern packaging, public relations, and a dash of savvy cunning.

The food business rivalry plot may recall the Michael Hui classic Chicken and Duck Talk at times, minus its biting and sometimes shrill social commentary. In its place, Han introduces his warped take on the romantic comedy genre and shows off his scriptwriting skills via a series of unexpected and unscheduled flashback sequences, which are likely to bring the house down.

The appeal of Perfect Rivals lies in its sure sense of comedy and a plot that is sufficiently mainstream but not too predictable. There are however a few weaknesses which can be attributed to the variance in maturity of the film industries and its impact on the experience of actors in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. While there is a sense of cast chemistry, it is also noticeable that there is some mismatch. For example, Irene Ang’s maiden attempt at comedy in Mandarin seems very much constrained by her lack of command and comfort with the language.

Nevertheless, Perfect Rivals is just about perfect for a commercial debut for a highly competent writer-director.