I came to this film off the back of another short film from writer/director Yulin Kuang, and I was intrigued by the title of this one. The plot here sees a young girl decide to spend her Saturday working as a private detective for as little as 5 cents a case. With passing trade seeming to be drawn instead to the lemonade stand nearby, Irene finds herself facing a very boring day until it occurs to her that the true mystery here is that there are no mysteries. Lee sets out to solve the case of the missing mysteries.
As a whole the film is deliberately slight in terms of what it does and how it does it; essentially the film is built on base of 'OMG that is adorable". This is not to detract from how well done this is, but it is hard to ignore that the film is wonderfully cute across many aspects. The narration is delivered in a gentle rhyme throughout, and the choice of Persaud as the narrator is good as his voice is relaxed and fits the tone (well, sets the tone I guess). The narrative itself is not a thriller but does rather draw you in with how sweet it is. The casting of Grace Lee as Irene Lee is essential to this; she is adorable and manages to be confidence and cute without coming across as precocious or annoying (not an easy thing for child actors to avoid). There are others in the film but really it is all about Lee and Persaud, and both are great.
To close the deal the film is very well made too. From the opening shot in Lee's room, with its great wallpaper and color, through to the great light outside, visually the film looks great – crisp and clear with plenty of color and a consistent look whether inside a room or out in the sun. The choice of music is good mainly because it works as a bed and you almost don't notice it because of how well it fits into the film. I do not suggest it is an amazing film that will change your life, but for sure it will leave you with a smile because from the lead actress to the narration to the whole construction, the film is adorable.
