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Emily the Criminal is an extremely strong and gritty neo noir that is filled to
the brim with anger and class resentment. It does a better job at capturing the
current generation’s frustration and powerlessness in the current job market
than any recent film I can recall. Because of its attention to seedy detail and
its convincing depiction of a whole criminal underworld, it reminded me of
another great crime film, Mike Hodge’s Croupier (1998), which was even closer to
the style of classic film noir.
The film was directed and written by the newcomer John Ford Patton, who shows a
steady and expert hand as he slowly builds up the characters and complicates the
plot in intensity. Patton often uses handheld camera and naturalistic lighting
to capture the drab and hopeless nature of Emily’s dispiriting reality which
might partially mirror what some recent graduates go through. Ford said that
when he graduated from college, he felt tremendous anxiety because of his huge
debt and he wanted to make a film that captures that anxiety. The Emily
character never quite graduated from college though. When she is asked about why
she quit she responds, “Legal fees and student loans. I had to take care of my
grandmother: I had to work.”
Emily the Criminal features a powerhouse dramatic performance by Aubrey Plaza
(she also co-produced the film) who was previously known mostly for quirky comic
performances in the critically acclaimed TV show, Parks and Recreation, as well
as the trashier, big budget films, Dirty Grandpa and Mike and Dave Need Wedding
Dates. But she also did a terrific job playing a mentally unstable lead in the
more dramatic Indy cult classic, Ingrid Goes West, which up until this film was
Plaza’s most memorable and ground-breaking performance. Plaza has also made a
big impression with her bizarre and nervous late-night talk show appearances and
she may be taking Andy Kaufman’s place as the best weird talk show interview
guest.
Plaza’s usual flat delivery and barely concealed sarcasm which is reminiscent
somewhat of the sarcastic cartoon character Daria (who was a Beavis and Butthead
spin-off) is used to good effect playing a character much darker than her usual
roles. Sometimes she cannot conceal her anger at the privileged and her face
hints at her contempt which almost trips her up in some criminal ventures. You
could tell what a supreme effort it is for her to be nice.
Her character Emily (like many graduates) is a young woman who followed her
dream and went to art school which left her with a $70,000 debt. Since she has a
record for a minor crime, she has next to no chance at getting a good career and
she works a nothing job that will go nowhere making deliveries. Her boss treats
her like trash and when she complains that her hours were cut, he says, “I’m
sorry are you an employee? No, you’re an independent contractor.”
Then she gets a tip from a friend which interests her. A smooth-talking Lebanese
man named Youcef, who turns out to be a criminal (well played by Theo Rossi of
Sons of Anarchy) suggests she can make quick easy money with a minimum of risk
if she breaks the law. Emily is like a fish who is lured (or groomed) to endure
greater and greater risks as the jobs get harder. The first time, Yousef asks
her to to be a “dummy shopper” and to buy a wide screen TV using a stolen credit
card number. For the next riskier job, she is told that she had only eight
minutes to pick up a car because it takes that long to verify the payment with a
bank. The paperwork takes longer than is expected and she barely gets away after
a violent struggle with the car salesman which leaves her face covered in blood.
How far will she go and is it possible for her to follow a better path?? Emily
tries hard to get a legitimate job but the odds seem hopelessly stacked against
her. Her friend that went to art school with her who unlike Emily has “made it”
gets her an interview at a fancy advertising agency. It seems like a dream job
that would put her art training to good use and she gets her hopes up. But then
she finds out it is an unpaid internship in which she would be working full
time. The scene shows the callousness and complete predatory nature of some
employers in the current job market. Afterwards, she completely commits herself
to a life of crime and declares “People just keep taking from you until you make
the god_ _ rules yourself.”
Emily needs to make money but she also seems to get off on the danger. Of
course, she is hardened immeasurably by the criminal life and becomes perhaps
stronger and more daring than her boss. After she gets robbed, she screams,
“We’re serious people. You should be scared of us!”
Viewers are sure to feel empathy and a sense of wasted potential as Emily gets
deeper into her criminal lifestyle and loses more and more of her soul. The
cumulative effect of the show is similar to what someone might feel observing
the main character in Breaking Bad, who started out as a sympathetic and not
terrible guy who gets into crime to pay medical bills and gradually becomes a
monster that operates completely in a moral vacuum.
Although the plot is engaging and suspenseful, the main reason to see the film
is Plaza’s groundbreaking breakout performance which is a marvelous, career
making thing of beauty. It also happens to be one of the bravest and most
believable acting jobs of the year. It would be a real shame if this spirited
film and its lead performance gets overlooked during the awards season.
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