The G
In Karl R. Hearne’s Canadian crime drama Dale Dickey finds a movie that is a perfect showcase for her wonderful talent.
Back in 2020, J. Blakeson made a film set in America entitled I Care A Lot. The story, which he wrote himself, centred on a scam at the expense of the elderly, one in which a criminal in league with a doctor and the owner of a care home took on the legal guardianship of rich patients supposedly no longer fit to handle their affairs. That created a set-up in which the guardian could sell their property and control their assets. Now we find the same situation unfolding in the Canadian film The G written and directed by Karl R. Hearne. But, despite echoing that earlier work, The G is very different in two respects. First, there’s the fact that Blakeson's tale was one told from the viewpoint of the key criminal, a woman played by Rosamund Pike, whereas The G is seen through the eyes of a victim named Ann Hunter (Dale Dickey). Secondly, where I Care A Lot adopted the mode of black comedy The G for all the smart lines delivered by Ann is a melodrama about a woman intent on revenge.
The tone of Hearne's film is set by a brief pre-credit sequence in which the film's two arch criminals, Rivera (Bruce Ramsay) and Ralph (Jonathan Koensgen), bury alive one of their victims. But immediately after that we are introduced to 72-year-old Ann (the granny regularly referred to as The G) and her husband, Chip (Greg Ellwand), whose health is bad. Ann may drink too much but she nevertheless looks after Chip affectionately and is shocked when Rivera turns up at their home announcing that under a court order he is now their guardian and that they are to move immediately into the Christ the King Eldercare Facility. Payment for this is required from the couple’s assets and it is quickly apparent that Rivera believes that they have money stashed away even though they deny it.
Life in this facility is akin to being locked up in prison so severe is the treatment there and the restrictions imposed. Indeed, Ann is prevented from having contact with the one person who is really close to her, that being Emma (Romane Denis) who is her step-granddaughter. Eventually they do meet up and as kindred spirits seek justice for what has been done, albeit in their different ways: Emma is prepared to take risks to get financial compensation for the appropriation of Ann’s home and Ann herself is ready to draw on past connections that have made her no stranger to violence.
I Care a Lot was highly entertaining for its first half but then lost its way by becoming so exaggerated as to turn silly. The G is far more consistent, but it too develops less effectively than it should have. The story brings in a number of other characters including a sympathetic resident in the care home, Joseph (Roc Lafortune), a young outsider who works in the grounds and becomes involved with Emma (this being Matt played by Joey Scarpellino) and a man (Christian Jadah) who arrives to help in place of his late father whom Ann had tried to summon. Hearne’s screenplay is one that can feel rather shapeless as it switches around between these characters and a scene in which Emma describes to Matt the situation in which Ann and Chip found themselves sounds like a clarification of the plot for any viewers who have not yet fully latched on. I had expected a tale which would lead to Ann and Emma functioning together but in showing them seeking to achieve the same goal but in contrasting ways the film becomes rather bitty.
Ultimately, then, one has to conclude that there is nothing in The G to equal the best scenes in I Care a Lot, but then it's equally true that The G never sinks to the level of the weakest passages in its predecessor. But in one respect the two films do match up entirely as is apparent when you consider the acting. Rosamund Pike was at the top of her game in I Care a Lot and that is equally true of Dale Dickey here, so in each case it is the leading player who makes the film worth watching. Romane Denis provides useful support but nevertheless The G absolutely belongs to Dickey who, albeit less of a name then Pike, has done enough valuable work in the past to be a recognisable face. And what a great face it is, an asset that stands alongside her ability to portray Ann Hunter as a believably tough cookie never shy of using strong language while also recognising the need to incorporate touches expressive of her underlying tenderness. She has been in films and on TV for some thirty years and has been in some fine movies including Winter Bone (2010) and Leave No Trace (2018) but often not in leading roles. It is great to see her at the very centre of The G and when Joseph, understandably struck by Ann's personality, declares "I think you’re amazing” viewers will readily accept that as being no less applicable to the actress who plays her.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Dale Dickey, Romane Denis, Roc Lafortune, Bruce Ramsay, Jonathan Koensgren, Christian Jadah, Joey Scarpellino, Greg Ellwand, Daniel Brochu, Anthony Jonas Nestoras, Frank Schorpion, Tanya van Blokland, Richard Chevolleau.
Dir Karl R. Hearne, Pro Karl R.Hearne, Screenplay Karl R. Hearne, Ph Vlad Horodinca, Pro Des Guillaume Couture, Ed Arthur Tarnowski, Music Philippe Brault, Costumes Janet Campbell.
3 Buck Productions/KRH Film/Level Film-Lightbulb Film Distribution.
106 mins. Canada. 2023. UK Rel: 21 June 2024. Cert. 15.
