The Rule of Jenny Pen
The Rule of Jenny Pen
Starring John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, George Henare, Ian Mune
Directed by James Ashcroft
Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) is a respected judge who suffers a stroke while passing a sentence in court, and is confined to a care home until he becomes mobile again. He's crotchety, has no friends or family, and is overall annoying to employees and fellow residents alike, especially his former rugby player roommate Tony Garfield (George Henare). However, there's also Dave Crealy (John Lithgow), a seemingly nice guy who is a long-term patient, but at night he terrorizes the fellow patients and gets away with it by manipulating the patients and employees alike. He uses a puppet he calls Jenny Pen to illicit the most humiliating moments, but Stefan stands up to him. He continually calls out his actions to the staff, but they don't seem to care, and his defiance draws Dave's ire day-to-day. As Stefan's condition deteriorates and Dave steps up his cruelty, it seems no one will be able to stop Dave from controlling everyone in the care home.
"The Rule of Jenny Pen" is one of those psychological thrillers that are rarely made anymore, because there's no grand moments of exciting horror, but rather a slow-burn thriller between two men who ultimately you know will come to blows. It's set in one location, features a small elderly cast, and is more dialogue-driven than jump-scare inducing, none of which really appeals to general audiences. While I could appreciate the overall feel of the film, I found myself bored a bit through it, thinking at 104 minutes it could've been trimmed to 90 and would've been a whole lot better.
The movie is a match of wits between Stefan and Dave, and it seems rather one-sided at first. Stefan is a respected judge who is highly intelligent, but whose people skills have a lot to be desired. He's your typical "get off my lawn" elderly man who self-isolates and no one really takes his side, even when they're also bullied by Dave, because of their fear of Dave. Geoffrey Rush might be a bit older, but he's lost none of his acting ability as he gives a great performance as a man who struggles to make people believe the truth since the mouthpiece isn't that pleasant.
On the other side there's Dave, who is essentially Stefan's opposite in every way. He's not that intelligent, but he's outgoing and beloved by the staff and feared by the patients, drawing more attention to himself to make him seem less threatening. He's constantly playing with his Jenny Pen puppet, and that puppet itself is truly horrifying to see (especially when Stefan starts losing his grip on reality and we see huge Jenny Pen everywhere). John Lithgow is always hitting it out of the park in his varying genre portrayals, and he plays Dave with devilish charm and glee, making his a formidable geriatric foe to Stefan.
As I said earlier, there's not a lot of flashy stuff happening in the film, yet there's still some truly shocking moments (including a sexual assault) that really sheds light on the problems of nursing homes. Staff generally don't seem to care, they allow stuff to happen to keep things under wraps so as to not draw negative attention to itself, and it almost feels like a prison for the patients. Also, when you throw in how the elderly are treated but also their mental and physical states diminishing, and you got the true horror to this film. It makes you not want to get old, or at least not get old and be feeble, forgotten, and forlorn. Throw in a diabolical sociopath and you've got the true crafting of a nightmare.
The Score: B+
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