Marmalade, 2024.
Written and Directed by Keir O’Donnell.
Starring Joe Keery, Camila Morrone, Aldis Hodge, Wayne Duvall, Susan Brava, Hans Christopher, Amy Warner, Jane Hammill, and Andrew E. Wheeler.
SYNOPSIS:
Follows a man in jail who narrates the colorful tale of a romantic bank heist to his cunning cellmate to escape and reunite with the alluring love of his life.
Conceptually, the bizarre crime mystery Marmalade probably seemed like a solid idea. However, it’s also the type of twisty story that requires a sharp script that doesn’t telegraph what is really going on here so quickly, something that actor turned debut writer/director Keir O’Donnell does early on and then proceeds to drag out without realizing that the energy, zip, and excitement is not only there in the third act, but would have also served better as the narrative’s core. Blunt symbolism, such as characters choosing masks comprised of multiple faces for the bank robbery, doesn’t help any of this, either.
The one constant here is that Baron (Joe Keery) cares deeply about his ailing, elderly, terminally ill mother (Amy Warner), although he is unable to keep up with purchasing her medications and is also having trouble holding down work in his impoverished, rural small town. Starting in the middle of the story, Baron is arrested for robbing a bank, in cahoots with the seductive firecracker Marmalade (Camila Morrone), not from this town, as evidenced by the ravishing pink wool coat and jewelry she wears. It appears that, at some point, the two crossed paths, with her convincing Baron to take a more direct approach to fighting this financial injustice.
Tossed inside a cell with Otis (Aldis Hodge), a hardened criminal quick to list his rap sheet with prison break escape artist being among his many offenses, Baron offers to give the man all of the money provided he bust him out and reunite him with his dear Marmalade. This also prompts the film to enter flashback mode, with Baron functioning somewhere between unreliable narrator and genuinely dumb hillbilly, occasionally giving inaccurate descriptions. This also makes for a bit of personality, with Otis humorously interjecting, subsequently followed up by real-time corrections demonstrating some mild visual flair. Generally speaking, Joe Keery and Aldis Hodge complement each other well, with the sincere albeit stupid former gradually getting on the latter’s nerves.
The key issue here is that from the moment Marmalade is introduced, something is unquestionably off about the dynamic between the characters and the story being told within the story. That’s not necessarily because what’s happening to Baron is too good to be true, but more so that the longer these flashbacks go on, complete with a generic arc depicting the steps of a bank robbery, there is also only one place left for the narrative to go. There are still a few surprises in store, with every character essentially being in a different place with a different motivation by the third act.
Without giving too much away, Marmalade transitions into a cat-and-mouse chase with the true meaning and details of Baron’s story coming together (much like a puzzle piece, which is another obvious piece of symbolism here), and even if there was never any doubt the film was headed down a path like this where, let’s just say, one character has been underestimated every step of the way, the direction and performances are compelling leaving one wondering how this will end.
A case could be made that cutting down some of the flashbacks and focusing more on the prison setting, especially since the chemistry between Joe Keery and Aldis Hodge offers intrigue and laughs, would hide some of the predictability. Marmalade unquestionably needs a tighter edit and some of its focus redirected; it’s onto something delightfully wild in those last 30 minutes but takes such a bland, transparent route to get there.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
