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Film: The Rule of Jenny Pen
Year: 2024
Director: James Ashcroft
Writers: Eli Kent and James Ashcroft
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, John Lithgow and George Henare
Review:
This was a film that I decided to check out for a featured review on the Journey with a Cinephile since I don’t have the time currently to go to the theater. I had another slated, but the Shudder app alerted me that this was now streaming. Seeing that it featured Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow, that was enough for me. It also looked creepy with the bit of information that I saw. I’ve also now given it a second watch to see where I sat with it.
Synopsis: confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body, a former judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child’s puppet to abuse the home’s residents with deadly consequences.
We start this in a courtroom. The presiding judge is Stefan Mortensen (Rush). He is harsh with the punishment but then he hears the mother of the victim thanking him. He then scolds her. During his tirade, he has a stroke.
This lands him in the nursing home from the synopsis. He isn’t adjusting well. He is rude to the staff and other residents, his roommate included. Something of note there is that he is Tony Garfield (George Henare), a former national team rugby player. There is another resident, Dave Crealy (Lithgow).
Dave is a bully. He has a puppet on his hand that looks like a baby doll that has been gutted. The puppet has a head and two arms. Dave uses it for a dark version of a ventriloquist act. Not a good one mind you. It is creepy nonetheless. Dave also steals food from residents, physically attacks them and then even visits others in their room. We see this in Stefan and Tony’s room. He does an odd song, asks Tony who rules and then to lick the hind of the doll, which is Dave’s wrist. He wants Stefan to do the same, hurting Tony when refused.
What makes this worse is that Stefan lodges a complaint, but it is ignored. Dave gaslights him and with the state of Stefan, the team thinks that he was seeing things. They also believe that his declining mental state is what is happening here. Stefan holds on to the belief he will be released soon. We get glimpses of the truth that he’s worse off than he realizes.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that this film is working on a few different layers which is what I appreciate. Not all of what I’ll say here is horror. How they are presented does make it border into that. I could see people not seeing this as being in genre. I do think it is, but wanted to acknowledge that in the beginning here as well.
The story is a character study of Stefan and Dave. The former was a harsh judge and believes he'll soon leave the nursing home. His constant complaints lead staff to disregard his accusations, even against Dave. This gaslighting makes him out to be "the boy who cried wolf." Rush's portrayal in this role is excellent.
Shifting slightly, I want to discuss what puts this into the genre and it stems from the fear of aging, seen through Stefan's perspective. Despite his conviction that he doesn't belong due to a stroke, subtle details, like his inability to draw a clock, reveal his declining health. This resonates with myself getting older. Dave and other residents' similar actions reinforce this theme. These are subtle touches that if you’re not paying attention, you may miss.
Our villain, Dave, has been in this place longer. He subtly reveals his intimate knowledge of the facility, which explains his access to restricted areas—a fact Stefan eventually grasps. Dave is a monster; his acts of terror amplify the elements of horror. He physically and mentally abuses residents, easing his torment if they comply. Stefan's defiance exacerbates the abuse. The premise is a chilling "what if" a tyrant bullied nursing home residents, made more terrifying by victims with diminished mental capacity. Lithgow excels as this villain.
There is another fear here to bring up that I believe is something I would deal with if I had to put my parents in a nursing home. Elder abuse is real. It is joked about in Happy Gilmore, but I know this happens more regularly than it should. People in homes like this are taken advantage of. More often though, it is the staff. Here we are seeing a resident that is doing things. There is more to it. Dave also has a history with Stefan. That feels a bit convenient, but also not out of the realm of possibility. This is terrifying though to be attacked and not being believed.
I did want to bring up a gripe that I saw. A couple buddies of mine had issues with the facility, especially since there doesn’t seem to be cameras. That is a good point. With the second watch, that was something I was focusing on. I get the idea that this place doesn’t have the best funding. It seems to be second rate. What would help would show that the security system with cameras is out of order. This just seems to avoid it. If the place was old enough, maybe they don’t have them at all. This is also set in New Zealand, so I’m not sure what their rules are. I did want to explore this, but I don’t necessarily have the same issues.
Now that I’ve fleshed all that out, let’s finish out with discussing the acting performances. I’ve already said how good Rush and Lithgow are. Henare is solid as this roommate to Stefan. What is interesting here is that he’s a former athlete. He’s being bullied by Dave and it gets worse due to Stefan’s defiance. This ramps up tension, especially since he played such a rough sport but cannot defend himself now. I’ll also say here that all the staff for this place is good. There are subtle things happening that they don’t notice. Credit to all the elderly that were the other patients as well. What is great here are things that they say and do that if you pay attention, our leads also experience. They all work for what is needed to push things to where they need to end up.
All that is left then is filmmaking. I’ve already brought up other aspects of this movie. I’ll credit the cinematography and the framing. Things that were good there were showing us what Stefan sees and then showing the truth. They capture the nursing home well. I can just imagine the smell. That all works for me. This is limited with the effects used, but it doesn’t need them either. This is more about the mental state of these two characters, watching it deteriorate. That is a fitting metaphor for their bodies as well. They also do these surreal things where Stefan is losing time through these black outs. That adds an element for me since they are nightmarish. Other than that, the soundtrack and design work, especially with this creepy song that Dave sings. We also heard a record that helped me make sense of things as well.
In conclusion, this offers a compelling and nuanced character study, centered on the deteriorating mental and physical states of its leads, Stefan and Dave. While featuring elements of horror, particularly through its unsettling exploration of elder abuse and the fears of aging, the film’s strength lies in its portrayal of human vulnerability and psychological torment. With strong performances from Rush and Lithgow, and effective filmmaking that subtly reinforces its themes, this movie is a recommended watch for both horror aficionados and those who appreciate a thought-provoking drama that delves into the darker aspects of the human condition.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10