By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

Oh, Hi! (USA, 2025. Dir: Sophie Brooks): Indie films’ path to the big screen has never been more treacherous. It’s not just the challenge of finding distribution or getting attention in a profoundly fragmented market. They can also get scooped up by streamers and end up lost in a never-ending menu — unheralded and unseen.

Oh, Hi! made it through, on the strength of a sharp script and a superb performance by Molly Gordon. Until now, Gordon’s most notable roles have been as self-possessed and sardonic young women in Booksmart, Theatre Camp, and The Bear. In Oh, Hi! she finally gets to show the cracks in her cool-as-a-cucumber facade as Iris, a young woman burned one too many times by unworthy suitors.

Iris thinks she may have met “the one” in Isaac (Logan Lerman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), but mid-vacation he informs her he doesn’t want anything serious. Iris doesn’t take the news well and chooses to follow her inner Annie Wilkes: Isaac must realize they’re soulmates, even if that means chaining him to a bedpost until he “comes to his senses”.

The dramedy unfolds intelligently and adds some solid pinch-hitters (Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds) midway through to stop the premise from running out of steam. Because the film aims to remain grounded, the comedic possibilities are never fulfilled, but it’s fun enough to hold your interest, with one or two ideas that resonate beyond the screen. ★★★☆☆

Oh, Hi! is now playing across Canada.