The Rule of Jenny Pen
James Ashcroft’s thriller is a film that borrows from other movies- “The Shining,” “Shock Corridor,” among them- but is anchored by two deliciously over-the-top performances. One of the things I appreciate about Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow is that they’re never ones to shy away from big A acting. When Rush came into larger view with his work in “Shine,” it’s wild to consider now- after almost 3 decades- that would be subtle in comparison to some of his later performances like in the “Pirates” movies and “Quills.” As for Lithgow, well, my primary introduction to him was in “Cliffhanger,” so by the time he did six seasons on “3rd Rock From the Sun,” I was fairly primed for him going full ham for a role. The idea of both of them in a psychological thriller that involves some big performances from them- I can get behind that.
“The Rule of Jenny Pen” begins with a judge, Stefan Mortensen (Rush’s character), giving judgement over a case. As he does so, he has a stroke, and he finds himself in an elder care facility. While there, recovering, he experiences a side of life he’s never experienced before, and that includes the eccentric Dave Crealy (Lithgow). Crealy goes around with a child’s puppet on his hand, but it’s not for the purpose of making the other residents happy.
The screenplay by Ashcroft and Eli Kent is based on a short story by Owen Marshall. Even though the film is only an economical 103 minutes long, there is enough repetition in how it unfolds that makes the viewer feel like there’s some padding added on in order to get the run time up a bit more. Once the film begins to reveal Crealy’s sinister nature, it finds some juice, in part because of the dynamic between Rush and Lithgow, but it also doesn’t seem to have a lot more beyond that. We do get a sense of the ways in which seniors can suffer from neglect in such living situations, but it’s more to do with Crealy’s gaslighting of the staff than any sense of neglect on the staff. As the film focuses in on Stefan and Crealy (as well as Stefan’s roommate, played by George Henare), that is where it’s strongest, because the performers are allowed to let loose. The film itself is kind of surreal in how Ashcroft shoots some sequences, and there is plenty of terrifying stuff to be seen here. The performances by the leads are why you’ll enjoy watching this movie, though, and for me, that’s perfectly fine.
