Emily The Criminal: NZIFF Review

Drowning in debt from art school and burdened by her past, Aubrey Plaza's Emily is fighting against a growing tide. But in this low-stakes highly connective thriller, she's mad as hell and she's not gonna take it any more.

Unable to get through job interviews without her criminal record being brought to the fore, and struggling to make ends meet in her catering contracting job, Emily's thrown a lifeline when she takes a shift for a co-worker, and he gives her a phone number to text for quick easy cash.

After yet another work disappointment, Emily gives in to temptation and signs up for a "dummy shopper" gig where stooges are given fake credit cards and make purchases for bigger buyers.

But Emily discovers she has a talent for the role, a burgeoning friendship with the boss Yousef (himself a former grifter) and a chance to escape from the hole she's in - if she's able to do something illegal.

Emily The Criminal is a confident, assured debut from director John Patton Ford; it's a film that has inherent tension etched within, but which never overplays it for a series of simple adrenaline-fuelled moments.

That's not to say these are not within, but at its heart, Emily The Criminal is a compelling character piece anchored by the enigmatically dramatic Aubrey Plaza. Plaza makes Emily's descent into the criminal underworld feel plausible, tangible and tempting enough given her circumstance.

Ford isn't interested in delivering a didactic takedown on the state of zero contract jobs, and of a crumbling economy - much like 2019's Sorry We Missed You, he simply builds the situation around his player and watches as the stone gathers motion.

Both Plaza and Theo Rossi as Yousef make for a grounded pair, a couple of individuals who are in pursuit of their own dreams, but whose vision collides to stunning effect. With an easy chemistry and a great deal of charisma, Emily The Criminal inadvertently drags you all into its slipstream.

It's a small film, wide in scope, but one which thrills in the most human of ways.