Film

from August 29, 2022 Northern Express

Classifieds

Emily the Criminal

You’ll begin with a lie and end with the truth in the suspenseful thriller Emily the Criminal, produced by and starring Aubrey Plaza in a dazzling performance as the title character.

If you think you’d do anything to get rid of your student loan debt, here’s your chance to play along as the 20-something Emily finds an opportunity too good to be true and decides to take it—changing the course of her otherwise dull day job delivering meals to corporate offices across Los Angeles, where no one notices her unless the food is cold.

Emily’s true passions are her love of painting and art—her college major back in New Jersey where she’s from—and she carries her slight but proud accent west to California to follow her dreams. When the story opens,

she’s in the endless loop of grinding it out, living in an Eastside apartment with roommates and slowly abandoning her artistic hopes while her bills mount. (It’s a frustrating cycle many will find more than relatable.)

Emily’s last hope is that her college friend Liz (played by Megalyn Echikunwoke) will get her an interview with the posh ad agency she works for, something Liz seems reluctant to do. The rift between her success and Emily’s increasing failures is pronounced, even as they still party hard into the night and try to ignore it. Curiosity almost kills the caterer when Emily picks up a side-hustle shift for her friend Javier and finds herself being recruited into a stolen credit card scheme that seems so real that it must happen every day around the world. Rather than bait and switch the recruits, the charismatic and handsome leader Youcef (played by Theo Rossi) is more than upfront about the assignment and the cash payments people will receive if they follow his instructions. His honesty about dishonesty hooks Emily’s intellect and intrigue immediately. While she senses danger in the scheme, that’s also what Emily seems to want to shake herself out of her rut. By taking risks and using her people skills, her first theft is a success, and the fat envelope of cash (more than she'd make in a whole day of working) solidifies her commitment to Youcef.

“It’s only temporary, right?” seems to be the mantra at first. From there, Emily maintains the facade of her day job while slowly getting more and more training from Youcef in the art of fraud and the rules of engagement. She’s a fast learner and talented at making money, even as she navigates increasingly dicey and violent encounters when the deals and ripoffs get bolder in this modern Bonnie and Clyde crime spree. For his part, Youcef sees the credit card scam as a means to an end, and he is slowly

building up his stake to pursue dreams of his own. He offers the opposite take on Emily’s resignation for her life’s limits, and soon the two combine sex, cigarettes, and schemes as the story plays itself out to the completely satisfying and unexpected ending. It’s a gritty and modern heist film, grounded in the strange, dirty, debt reality of America: a place where the chips stack up quickly against you, where taking a risk can sometimes seem worth it if it means you can feel free again and take control. Written and directed by relative newcomer John Patton Ford in his third feature, the film is shot in tense and up-close reality by cinematographer Jeff Bierman, with an almost imperceptible and terrific score by Nathan Halpern (The Rider). Plaza’s wild journey from complacency to power as Emily is a nailbiter. It’s the rare film in this genre that really focuses on a woman’s point of view, giving her complete rein to own and dominate the narrative. Other films often try, but they are tokens compared to this—and as Emily would say, sometimes the mistake is not goin’ far enough.

CGREAT LAKES, GREAT MOVIES

by Joseph Beyer

September 14-18, 2022 Downtown Sault Ste. Marie, MI Info and tickets at soofilmfestival.org Supported by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, administered by Eastern Upper Peninsula Planning Commission. michigan.gov/arts /soofilmfestival ALL ARE WELCOME! outdoor worship @ 9a | traditional worship @ 11a Curiosity almost kills the caterer when Emily picks up a side-hustle shift for her friend Javier and finds herself being recruited into a stolen credit card ONLINE ANYTIME AT: tccentralumc.org | facebook.com/cumctc scheme that seems so real that it must happen every day around the world.