Asian Persuasion is the debut feature film from Grammy award winning director Jhett Tolentino. Key to his success is the casting of Dante Basco and Kevin Krieder as best friends Mickey and Caspian, who combine forces to pair off Mickey’s ex-wife Avery through a dating app. Avoiding alimony payments, putting the brakes on a pricey divorce, and giving Mickey more time with his daughter Sam. On paper the premise sounds simple, but in practice Asian Persuasion proves to be an engaging reflection on the nature of relationships, elevated by Dante Basco on charming form. Although rom coms are rarely deceitful, this film sidesteps those awkward elements by cranking up the chemistry between Basco and Krieder.
Caspian is the lothario in this equation, sweet talking women nightly working in a local bar, while Dante runs a coffee shop. These characters share an easy-going vibe, and many of the early scenes between them involve pizza, shots, and substances. It might appear to be going down the stoner comedy route of Dude Where’s My Car? but these bonding moments lay the groundwork for their friendship. Paolo Montalban is the other crucial part of this romantic con job as the gullible Lee-Kwan Prince. A genuine singleton enlisted by Mickey to seduce his ex-wife Avery, played by KC Concepcion, and simply save him some cash. Prince excels at being the hapless stooge in this equation, who charms Avery through an earpiece linked directly back to her ex.
S & R Films
For a film which hinges on audiences buying into an intentional deceit, Asian Persuasion is still a solid comedy. Much of that comes from Caspian’s romantic misadventures including frequent encounters with Helene Dubois, who has a habit of losing her wooden leg. It has all the hallmarks of a solid rom com with surprising elements of slapstick thrown in, giving Asian Persuasion moments of casual farce. However, it loses a little bit of stream when events move away from that central pairing and focus more on Avery. There is less character development evident in scenes between her friends, but that is a minor quibble, since they are rarely the focus for long.
Beyond the chemistry between Basco, Krieder, and Kwan Prince, Asian Persuasion does something impressive that takes it completely off book. It taps into the reality of romance by taking a leaf from films like Annie Hall and giving audiences something honest. Relationships are complicated things, and beneath the slapstick elements is a genuine discussion around co-parenting after a break-up. Moments of introspection where these characters remove their rose-tinted glasses and face facts, are both unexpected and inspiring. Not every relationship ends with a happily ever after, and not every problem can be solved with flowers or candlelit dinners. Sometimes people just grow apart and negotiating that with a child involved is tough.
Like all the best rom coms, Asian Persuasion works best when it puts universal themes are the centre of the story. It helps that the ensemble is charismatic and committed to the material, but giving this story an emotional core that connects with audiences, makes it something special.
Asian Persuasion is available on digital download from May 27th.