3 out of 5 stars (average)
When I was growing up, romantic dramas were a dime a dozen at the movies. While I didn’t see most of them until later, I learned to recognize 3 things about them: 1: They were usually based on Nicolas Sparks books; 2: they looked melodramatic; and 3: Their trailer had whatever the hottest pop song was playing over them. Hi., the new film by Olivia Nash (who leads, writes, directs, and produces) reminded me of those movies, but unlike many of them, I enjoyed watching this one. Its drama is pushed far enough without descending into soapiness, its characters are likable, and it knows exactly the audience it’s playing to and how to please them. Hi. is a solid romantic drama whose bumps are overcome by good characters and sincere execution.
Aspiring author Lavender Lark (Olivia Nash) and her brother Daniel (Chase Pollock) have come to see their father Peter (Charles Edwin Powell) for the summer. Lavender is dodging calls from her mother and fellow author Kat (Brandie Louck) who went on a book tour last year right after Peter was in a car accident, but is now attempting to bury the hatchet. When Lavender meets the kindhearted Dylan (Paul Grant), another author who’s looking after his grieving mother Ann (Reese Ravencraft), the two begin to bond and open up to one another. Even better, love is also in the air for Daniel with local girl Katie (Floriana Azemi). However, as the summer goes on, all relationships will be tested, secrets revealed, and hearts changed for the better.
Hi. is Olivia Nash’s directorial debut, and it’s a good one. She conveys Lavender’s closed-off attitude without feeling one-note and gets good performances from her co-stars, though sometimes employs swooping camara movements that feel out of place with the dramatic tone. The way her characters talk about writing and quote famous literary icons is believable, the central romance is sweet, and I enjoyed the sibling dynamic and chemistry between Nash and Pollock. There are a few scenes that end abruptly and one character relationship is wrapped up a bit too nicely, but I appreciate it for avoiding most of the issues I have with movies like this (overheated yelling matches, needless shock value twists) and taking itself and its characters’ problems seriously. It’s a good date night movie for the target crowd I’m happy I had the chance to see. Despite some novice bumps, Hi. is a welcome romantic drama that should leave genre fans swooning. See it on VOD.
Would likely be Rated R for Some Language and Smoking