Though it has its fair share of contrivances and predictable plot elements, one thing you won’t be able to predict about director Karl R. Hearne’s The G is just how dark it gets. Its revenge-noir story stems from something all too real: the big business of con artists who become court-appointed legal guardians of the elderly in order to confine them to “care” facilities they don’t need to be in and take their money. Where 2021’s I Care a Lot approached the subject with a biting satirical edge, The G is much more straightforward about this nightmarish practice. This heavy tone is brilliantly led by the great Dale Dickey (who you might recognize from Debra Granik’s films Winter’s Bone and Leave No Trace), one of the finest actors of her generation.
Ann Hunter (Dickey) is the “G” of the title. It’s an affectionate nickname given to her by her granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis). After Ann and her ailing husband, Emma’s grandfather Chip (Greg Ellwand) are essentially kidnapped by shadowy figures and taken to a bleak, almost prison-like facility, Emma takes action while Ann struggles from inside. They both seem to be making slight progress until Chip passes away early on in the couple’s confinement. From then on, it’s no more Mrs. Nice Ann.
Acting and tone management are what keep The G from buckling under the weight of its abundance of undercooked and overcooked ideas. It’s suggested that Ann has a past as some kind of special operative, but this only seems to exist to create a character who has her back, along with Emma’s. Emma also meets Matt (Joey Scarpellino) along the way. He’s a handsome, perhaps a little foolhardy sub-contractor at Ann’s facility who agrees to help Emma if she’ll go on a date with him. The issue isn’t that these developments are horribly written or performed; the scenes on their own are just fine. Everything just moves too fast with too many details. The film’s grit wanes in proportion to the speed with which some of these incidents occur. If the film were better paced, it wouldn’t necessarily be more believable, but it would be more digestible.
Despite this, Dale Dickey shines. She has the rare ability to display sweetness within stubbornness, and for this role, that works wonders. We have to believe that Ann is both capable and vulnerable at all times, and especially when dealing with people sympathetic to her plight, that balance is struck perfectly. As Emma, Romane Denis is also a scene-stealer. Emma is put-upon in more ways than just dealing with her grandparents’ predicament, and so Denis is often asked to portray a resolved frustration rather than just pure anger. She can’t show that this high-pressure situation is getting to her because most of the people she interacts with have the power to both help and hurt her cause. The story is such a tense one that when a jittery Emma is able to tell her battle-tested grandmother how nervous she really is, it’s a stunningly cathartic moment.
If you or any of your friend or family members have gone through this charade of legalized elder abuse, I can’t imagine the hell that must be. I also can’t imagine watching this film would be easy for you. However, if you’re up for it, The G is a gripping, rewarding experience despite its flaws. | George Napper
The G is now available on Blu-ray and video-on-demand platforms.
