John Patton Ford’s “Emily the Criminal”

Emily the Criminal (2022)

Social commentary through crime thriller consistently engages and is reminiscent of Vondie Curtis-Hall’s “Gridlock'd” with a terrific performance from Aubrey Plaza

Another 2022 feature film directorial debut, this story of the traps in American society with particular emphasis on debt and capitalist exploitation is quite effective in no small part to a strong performance from Aubrey Plaza. It reminded me a lot of Vondie Curtis-Hall’s excellent “Gridlock'd” with Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur which highlighted the barriers to going straight.

Plaza plays the titular Emily struggling to pay off student debt and trapped in low paid work due to a felony conviction. The script is quite tight though I do think the film could have ended without the brief epilogue we’re given but it isn’t terrible. It just feels a bit contrived relative to the rest of the film which feels quite natural.

Emily the Criminal is an overlooked gem from 2022 that’s worth watching and brings with it questions on American society which are easily forgotten by those inside the comfort of the middle and upper classes.