I Care a Lot

Lets start with a quick kudos to this movie for having a lesbian protagonist, in a loving relationship, in a movie where getting together, coming out, or being lesbians has nothing to do with the plot. Straight people get this all the time--queer people, not so much. So it's nice to see a relationship between two women being in a movie without being the reason for the movie. Well done, I like, I love it, I want more of it!

Recap: Marla, played by Rosamund Pike, is a court appointed guardian for the elderly and she uses this position to drain retirees of their remaining funds and funnel the money into her own pockets via the usual kickback chains. She has a doctor who sends new "clients" her way who sends her someone seemingly too good to be true. Turns out this new mark isn't who she seems and badness ensues.

I watched this movie last night with my girlfriend after we started and quit on Aquaman after 20 minutes. She had work to do and I planned to dink on my phone, but instead we both ended up riveted to I Care a Lot for the full two hour run. This movie is mislabeled as a comedy on Netflix when it is wall to wall suspense and drama.

What's cool about this film? Everyone in it fucking sucks and you won't have anyone to root for but you're not going to care! That's weird and cool. Marla and Fran, the same-sex couple of smart, tough, cunning, competent, loving women should be tailor made for me to cheer for, but I found myself actively wanting them to fail and suffer consequences the whole movie. Peter Dinklage, an actor I adore, plays Roman, an eccentric, powerful, kinda cliche mob boss of a sort who just wants to get his mother away from Marla. But I also couldn't cheer for him because he uses women as drug mules, had a lot of sexist undertones, and hired the sleaziest lawyer ever in Dean Ericson (played by Chris Messina). The victims of Marla's crimes were rarely seen, other than Jennifer Peterson (played by Dianne West), and the only other child of one of Marla's wards is an atrocious, misogynistic asshole who is written to be both sympathetic AND detestable. People (specifically guy people) are going to say he's written to be a stereotypical sexist asshole that doesn't exist outside feminist movies and books, but women will recognize him as a pretty standard breed of angry white guy we've all encountered entirely too often.

So why watch this thing if everyone is an awful human? Catharsis at the ending? Nope, it's weirdly satisfying, maybe unexpected for some, and doesn't fully wrap things up in a bow, yet doesn't feel incomplete. The "love story" between Marla and Fran? It's sweet at times, a mature relationship on solid footing with one short, steaming sex scene that gets out of the way of the rest of the movie in a hurry, but it's not going to carry anyone through this. The resolution where the corrupt system being exploited is taken down? Yeah, that doesn't happen--this movie isn't here to lie to you. This movie told a story that hurt on multiple levels and throughout, unless you're a total piece of shit, you're going to feel better about your own flaws because at least you're not any of the people in the movie.

4 out of 5 stars because it's not what you'd expect and it will sit with you for at least a couple days

**Elder abuse is a real problem and it includes defrauding the elderly**

There are parts of this movie (the roles of conservatorships, court appointed guardians, and the power wielded by judges, doctors, and nursing home staff) that might seem outlandish and unrealistic in this movie to people who haven't been through the system. As someone who has been through some of this, who is dating a physician, and watched my own grandmother's decline through dementia, I can tell you, this movie is entirely plausible. And that's kind of a huge problem in this country. Capitalism allows a lot of atrocities in the name of profit and the elderly and infirm are quite often the favored victims because they can be powerless or made to be powerless very easily. I wish I had an answer or a call to action for you, but that's well outside my expertise. If you're watching this movie and want to temper your disgust by telling yourself it isn't realistic, DON'T. This is and many worse crimes are being committed against the elderly and mentally diminished every day. Don't turn away from the feeling of outrage and disgust just because it's uncomfortable.