A must watch thriller
‘I Care A Lot’ is a new film on Netflix starring the fierce Rosamund Pike (of Gone Girl fame) Rosamund Pike plays the terrifying and tough-as-nails Marla, a legal guardian who preys on vulnerable elderly folks. What she basically does is get a legal order to house rich old people in care homes on the terms of a falsely diagnosed disease, while getting her hands on all their money. Marla is smart and resourceful. She is calculated and she makes it clear from the beginning that she is in it for the money (“being poor didn’t work with me”). She has friends and connections who are happy to get their hands dirty for her, including her professional (and personal) partner Fran (Eiza Gozalez), the immoral doctor Karen (Alicia Witt), and the care home manager Sam. It is established from the beginning that she is a flawed character, an anti-heroine, who ignores morals and ethics when she needs to. But she is also strong and isn’t afraid of death. We admire her for refusing to give up her ward (Dianne Wiest) when she gets death threats from a dubious lawyer (Chris Messina). Later, she stands up to a mob of gangsters and exchanges wicked banter with the boss (Peter Dinklage) and later gets in a cat-and-mouse chase. We can’t help but watch her in awe. It is never clear whether she is recklessly stupid, or she knows what she is doing.
The twist and turns the plot takes is commendable and I was surprised to see it go in places where I didn’t expect. When gangsters show up, I wasn’t sure if this was the same film as advertised. But it also makes it easier for the audience to take Marla’s side because the opponents she faces are far more merciless and dangerous
She can impressively play strong and scheming women with a streak of vileness but without losing our respect, which is a fresh take in a medium where unlikable female characters aren’t allowed to win.
Comments