I Care A Lot
"She doesn't need to be in a care facility, she doesn't need a court appointed guardian," pleads a man in court as Marla Grayson looks unfazed.
J Blakeson's I Care A Lot follows the ruthless caregiver Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) and her assistant-lover Fran (Eiza Gonzalez) as they exploit the neglect of the elderly in America. This film doesn't hold back in showing the pain of elder abuse and being prohibited from visiting your loved ones in a care home. The film shows a deep look into how institutions such as conservatorship programs harm the vulnerable. In the ultimate grift, Marla bribes doctors to give fake dementia diagnoses to elderly patients. The elderly person is then placed under Marla's care after she persuades a judge to appoint her as the legal guardian. Marla keeps them sedated and imprisoned in a care home while she drains their bank account to fund her own life. Her smooth grift is stunning yet terrifying of how much she is capable of doing without ever being caught. Marla thinks she has found the ultimate patient: the wealthy Mrs. Peterson, but the predators chose the wrong prey.
Rosamund Pike is the queen of playing unlikable, sociopathic women. She playfully takes on this wicked predator role in her bright suits and vape. The content is upsetting to watch as unsuspecting elderly people are forced into a home because of one woman who wants to make a quick profit, but the intoxicating performance of Pike keeps you engaged the whole time. She almost seduces you with her unfazed, terrifying demeanor. Marla is the embodiment of unchecked privilege and as she continues to go through the motions of her grift scratch free you only feel more disgusted and angered that actual people like this exist. Marla is cold.
Blakeson's idea was original and it keeps you guessing every second of the movie what is going to happen next. The vivid cinematography adds an extra layer to the film that seduces you to keep your eyes on the screen at all times even though it is filled with parasitic characters. Pike's ability to stay ahead of everyone when it looks like she is going to lose keeps you hooked as you think her time is coming. The confidence of such a despicable woman makes you not applaud her but want to see if she actually comes out in the end. What feels refreshing about this film is that it doesn't limit its female leads into any stereotypes based on race on gender. The actors are simply allowed to play around with their characters which helps them all achieve killer performances.
The costumes feel like another major character in the film. Blakeson has his characters dress like they are villains in their bright suits and by the end, Marla's dismantled suit. Chris Messina as a lawyer appears in an outlandish three-piece suit and pinkie ring. The antics are played up to keep the dark film comedic and have these villains stand out in daylight. Pike wears a bright red lipstick that brings your focus to her mouth every time a closeup appears; you are watching the words she speaks and how she delivers them. It feels like one big cartoon against the very serious subject matter of elder abuse.
The film has two parts to it. The first covers the horrors of elder abuse while the second is a grifter going above her limit. In the first part, Pike's ability to deliver a cool monologue to the court shows how she is able to reassure the courts to trust her while the ward's families fail miserably(something we have seen many times in American politics). Marla is not one to argue with because she can turn it back on you and make it seem like you are the crazy one. All it takes for Marla is her cool demeanor and team to make the care industry into her personal playground. The most heartbreaking part is when we see Jennifer struggling to get some insight into what happened and because of Marla's corruption she is mistaken for crazy. As we dive into the second film the mayhem begins. It feels like a comedic gangster film with Peter Dinklage taking on the lioness. We are essentially watching two horrible people fight and trying to decide who is more redeemable, but that is not what the film is about. Despite the comedic style of Dinklage's colorful mob, Pike's Marla manages to steal the show with her despicable scheme that never leaves your mind.
Blakeson manages to romanticize the harshness of the world through his lens. I Care A Lot gives us a reality check we haven't had in a while that will leave us wondering: who are the Marlas of the world?