Story of a woman embracing her more natural temperament of criminality and danger. It is wisely not overtly blared out, but Plaza is expressive to display the machinations behind her eyes when put up against the eightball. She brings a sturdy and felt component, though her accustomed tendency to be a tad abrasive is always boiling underneath. Honestly, the casting works really well, being innately on the edge at all times in every situation. Might not translate as well or work against the grain in another feature, but this clicked ideally.
Plaza’s Emily intensely travels a dark path of millennial desperation. It focuses on some modern tribulations - crushing medical debt, the specter of haunting school loans, the relentless gig economy, and the inescapability of forever deeds due to the internet. John Patton Ford, the director, smartly keeps the tension high and gathering despite not relying on tricks and tropes. It's an adept use of impending escalation and teases of complex unknowns, with smart simplistic camera work and story structuring.
It was nice to see Theo Rossi as well; an actor that consistently delivers.
ETC embraces the concept of criminality as something slithering inside waiting to be expressed rather than an act to do. Lurking dark but keeps a warm and open embrace as we follow along. Tense, wisely shaded, smartly edited, and moves with a prudent sense of pace.