Directed by Tran Thanh, The 4 Rascals is the story of a couple who encounter certain issues in their relationship and eventually decide to part ways. I just felt that the message the filmmaker wanted to give could have been conveyed far more effectively if the spoof-like elements had not been incorporated into the screenplay. I understand you want to make the film entertaining and humorous, but if it comes at the cost of diluting the impact the film could have had, then I don’t see the point. So, let’s find out what happened between the couple, and if they were ever able to get back together.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Quoc Anh decide to break up with Quynh Anh?
It didn’t take a lot of time for me to understand why Quoc Anh decided to part ways with his partner, Quynh Anh. Quoc worked at a bank; he was doing well for himself. He was piled up with work almost every day, and he didn’t have a very good work-life balance. Quynh Anh was a homemaker, and somewhere down the line she had lost her own identity. Her entire life had become about what her partner wanted. There was a scene in the film where Quoc Anh asked Quynh Anh what she wanted to accomplish in her life. It was at that moment we realized that the problem ran much deeper than expected. Yes, on the surface I also felt that they came from very different backgrounds; they had very different tastes, which was why there was a rift in their relationship. But then, Quoc fell in love with her all over again; he knew what kind of person she was, and so he didn’t have any reason to complain about it. But then we got to know that the problem was not how Quynh Anh’s family was, it was more about how impulsively she reacted at times, how she dealt with issues, and how she was just not ready to understand anyone else’s perspective. Quynh Anh’s best friend, Kieu, and Jessica (Kieu’s boyfriend), desperately wanted to help Quynh Anh out. But they ended up making the situation even worse. Jessica pretended to be a tarot card reader, and both Kieu and Quynh Anh committed the mistake of buying into his lies. Quynh Anh felt that taking Quoc to her hometown and spending time with the family would help their cause. But the last thing an already overworked man wants is to deal with chaos once he comes back home. Quoc got fed up in the end, because Quynh Anh’s uncle, her mother, and every other relative were just not giving him space to breathe. They came back, and then soon after that, Quynh Anh’s uncle and mother came to stay with them for a month. It was mayhem after that. Sometimes, when a person is tired, it’s difficult for them to see the good intentions of somebody. I mean, you get irritated, and then you snap back because you are just not in the space to entertain such drama after working tirelessly the entire day.
Basically, Quynh Anh’s mother and uncle had really loud personalities. Now, somebody like Kieu really blended in because she related to their sensibilities. But Quoc wasn’t able to do that. Also, Quynh Anh had become an insecure woman, which I believe she was not earlier. One time, Quoc went out for dinner with a client, Karen (who we will discuss later at length), and Quynh Anh bumped into him with her entire family. Quoc had just told Quynh Anh that he had a meeting with a client, but he didn’t tell her he was going to dinner with her, and moreover, the client was an attractive woman who seemed pretty interested in him. Quynh Anh and Quoc had a huge argument, and the latter just failed to understand how she could question his loyalty. Days later, Quoc went on a business trip with Karen, and Quynh Anh showed up unannounced. In her mind, she had already imagined the worst possible things, and so the moment Karen opened the door of their villa, Quynh Anh slapped her. When she went inside, she realized that there was nothing fishy happening there, and her husband was not cheating on her. Once Quoc came back home, he decided to part ways with her, because he was just not able to deal with Quynh Anh and her insecurities. The fact was, Quynh Anh didn’t trust Quoc, something that hurt him way too much. He loved her, and he had never had any intentions of cheating on her, but still she let her insecurities get the better of her. Also, he knew that, until she found her own identity, she would keep overthinking like that. So Quoc and Quynh Anh parted ways, but the fact was that they both loved each other way too much.
What did Karen want from Quoc Anh?
Karen was a true sociopath, and I just felt that her character was a little undercooked. I mean, if the film would have explored it better, then I believe I personally would have understood her personality, her motives, more clearly. Anyways, Karen was a businesswoman, and she approached Quoc’s bank because they were interested in handling her business. Karen, as Jessica said, was a pervert and a sociopath, and they had no clue when they first saw her. She was a beautiful woman, and she had great business acumen. She was successful, she was rich, and so it was difficult to understand why she would do what she did. She had her eyes on Quoc from the very first day she met him. We came to know later in the film that Jessica was on Karen’s payroll, and he was giving her information about everything that was happening in Quoc’s life and doing whatever she told him. Jessica was in a lot of debt, and he agreed to do whatever she told him to. Jessica stole money from Quynh Anh’s uncle and mother, and once they got hold of him, the truth came to light. Karen very subtly did everything she could to create a rift between Quynh Anh and Quoc. She was elated when Quynh Anh and Quoc decided to part ways. The very next day, she tried to get intimate with Quoc, almost forcing herself on him. I believe that if that perversion had not been there and if Karen would have acted normally, Quoc wouldn’t have hated being with her. I mean, he did confide in her, and at times felt overwhelmed by her gestures. But once her madness was unleashed, Quoc realized the kind of woman he was dealing with. In fact, she went to the extent of hiring men who went and assaulted poor Quoc. Quoc just told her that he had just come out of a relationship, and that he really loved his partner. He told her that he thought that he had committed a mistake by breaking up with Quynh Anh, because at the end of the day, he loved her, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her. But Karen didn’t understand all that. She wanted Quoc to be there with her, and when she couldn’t have him, her ego was bruised, and she did everything in her power to make him suffer.
Did Quoc and Quynh end up together?
I think the way Quynh Anh dealt with the situation once Quoc decided to come back to her was the best thing about the film. The day Quynh Anh and Quoc had an argument and decided to break up, the former realized certain things about herself. She realized that she didn’t have a dream that she wanted to chase in her life. She realized that that lack of ambition, that dependency on somebody else, had made her into something that she was not. She didn’t have friends, she didn’t have any hobbies, and basically her entire life had become about her partner. That was where the insecurity was also stemming from. So after Quoc left, Quynh Anh decided to open a cafe, as she was quite a good cook. Her business started flourishing, and that transformed her into an entirely different person. Quoc always loved her, even after he decided to part ways. He came to meet her, and he told her that he wanted them to get back together. But Quynh Anh told him that she wanted to do this her way, take things slowly, and give each other space. She also loved him more than anything else, and her decision to stay single wasn’t because she wanted to go out with other guys or flirt with people. For the first time in a long time, she was happy with herself. She felt that she was doing something worthwhile in her life. She kept taunting Quoc about Karen time and again, though not in the insecure manner that she used to. On Kieu’s wedding day, Quoc decided to propose to her. Quynh Anh agreed, as she knew that she wouldn’t find such a man or be able to build such a connection with anybody.
In The 4 Rascals’ ending, a formal complaint was lodged against Karen, and she was put behind bars for running an organized assault network. I believe the best relationships are those that are rooted in friendship. It’s because you understand the person, not only as a partner, but also as somebody who you have seen in the most embarrassing situation. I believe the most meaningful companionships are those where love grows with depth, trust, and endurance. Quoc and Quynh Anh were the best of friends, and that’s what made their relationship so strong. When two people know each other so well their souls are already at home even before they come into a relationship. That comfort and that ease of saying things are present by default, so one understands their partner in a much better manner.
