In the indie romantic comedy I Hate You, two very different twenty-somethings meet cute. Kelly (Lauren K. Montgomery) has plunged from one relationship to another and is particularly angry that the terms of her lease force her to stay in an apartment with her ex and his horny new girlfriend. Chi (Lawrence Kao) is an obsessive gamer who still lives with his mom.
Chi is not Kelly’s type but, then again, her type is a jerk. He is, however, way less experienced than she is. You’ve probably already guessed that they will get together, so that’s not really a spoiler. But she’s a workaholic, and when she’s off her laptop, she wants to analyze their relationship. Chi just wants a domestic life without much drama.
While following the usual arc of a romantic comedy, I Hate You mostly avoids dipping into rom-com clichés, and the ending is not predictable. I Hate You was written by Brad Kageno and Pyung Kim and is Kageno’s debut as a feature director.
This is an amiable and entertaining film. Cinequest hosts the US premiere of I Hate You.