THE RULE OF JENNY PEN (2024)

New in select theaters from IFC Films and Shudder!
Directed by James Ashcroft.
Written by James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, Owen Marshall.
Check out the trailer here!!

Geoffrey rush plays Stefan Mortensen, a judge who suffers a stroke and requires to be placed in a nursing home for recovery. There he meets Dave Crealy played by John Lithgow, who is the local bully, taking his wrath out against his feebler peers at the home. When Stefan refuses to acknowledge Crealy’s superiority at the home, a bitter feud begins.

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN is one dark tale and if there is any complaint I have at all it is that I didn’t get to spend more time watching these seasoned actors do what they do best. Rush is wonderful as a man who has loved a cold life as a judge and is now paying for it by being ultimately alone in this nursing home. He contests that he will soon be out of the home, so he doesn’t want to make friends or participate in the activities. While one would think that would make the character dislikable, the way the film intimately follows Stefan through his struggles, you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Rush is able to bring humanity to an utterly inhuman person by showing all of the gory details of how debilitating a stroke can be. Seeing rush play such a vulnerable role where he is in conflict with his own body is heartbreaking.

But you can’t help but root for him because John Lithgow gives such a diabolical performance as Crealy. But while Crealy does some truly despicable acts, Lithgow somehow makes you feel for him as well. Crealy is nuanced in his madness and those of you, like me, who thought the Batman movies missed out by not having him play the Ventriloquist, get a taste of the insanity here as his tendency to talk with his support puppet is terrifying. There is a scene in THE RULE OF JENNY PEN where the old folks are all dancing and Lithgow goes out there and turns it into a mosh pit that is truly twisted. He is simply a force of nature here, decimating everyone in his path, but like most bullies, his insecurities are obvious.

I used to work in the therapy business, and early on, when he had a series of internships giving the students experience with different populations, I knew geriatric facilities just weren’t for me. Maybe it was because of my own fear of getting old and helpless. Maybe it was because the patients would often mistake me for their son or even late husband. I just knew I would never work in a place like that. This movie didn’t change my mind at all about that. Director James Ashcroft captures the day to day monotony and the underlying madness of working in a facility for the elderly to a tee. Working like an old folks home version of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, THE RULE OF JENNY PEN is about one man fighting the system, its only that this system happens to be represented, not by a strict nurse, but by a horrible man wearing a puppet on his hand. Rush plays the will to fight that system, something that has been in place as long as most at the home can remember, and how that will can be worn down over time. Seeing Rush go from hopeful to leave to inevitably accepting his fate is the stuff of nightmares for me. And as I am not getting any younger, this film hit me like a sledgehammer at times as despite how much Stefan tried to reason with the staff, his words fall on deaf ears, because in their eyes he is not relevant anymore. Just truly heart shattering.

But though the drama is amped to the max and much of the film is rooted in the real world, have no worries. There are lots of horrors to look ahead to in this one. Through terrifying hallucinations and dream sequences, the nightmare of Crealy and his puppet Jenny Pen are ever present and horrifying. Not only that, but the lengths Crealy goes to exert his authority over the rest of his peers is equally horrible, as Crealy knows how to cheat the system and does so with devilish glee and dire intent. He may not move fast, but Crealy’s wrath is terrible indeed.

If anything, THE RULE OF JENNY PEN should come with a warning that you’re going to be feeling depressed as all hell as you walk away from this one. It is an extremely sad watch. If you have an elderly parent or grandparent, this one is going to hit hard and most likely will have you looking for any kind of alternative living situation than a home like the one depicted here. At the same time, THE RULE OF JENNY PEN is a celebration of two actors who don’t get top billing as often as they used to. The film allows them to show that they are still in top form.

My own prejudices against the elderly aside, THE RULE OF JENNY PEN is one hell of a powerful film. It isn’t bloody or filled with jump scares. But it does tap into that fear we all have of growing old, insignificant, and alone. That’s scarier than any serial killer or found footage I’ve ever seen because it’s real and we all should be long enough to experience that. But even that’s kind of fucked up. You want to survive the horrors of life and you do, then you end up not in command of your own body, your own senses, your own freedoms. It’s heavy scary stuff and THE RULE OF JENNY PEN is riddled with those real, inevitable, and terrifying scares. Are you ready to face those fears? How you answer will be whether you’re going to want to watch this movie.

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
(I do not own this music)