THE G Review – Fantasia International Film Festival 2024

Dale Dickey delivers a strong performance in “The G”, one of the more hard-hitting character-driven stories coming out of Fantasia.

Synopsis

A mysterious older woman seeks revenge on the corrupt legal guardian who destroyed her life.

Review
Character-driven films are a lost art – some are done very well while others can turn their wheels just a bit too much during their runtime. Luckily, writer-director Karl R. Hearne’s “The G” is a film that safely fits as an example of the former. Delivering a perfect role for veteran character actor Dale Dickey, “The G” is a film about a foul-mouthed elderly woman named Ann Hunter (or simply “The G”) who is conned by a wicked legal guardian. Soon enough, after her husband passes away, Ann finds herself caged in a miserable facility and plans revenge to get herself from up under the trap her treacherous guardian has put her in…and to keep dark secret she has hidden. The premise of “The G” feels like “Thelma” meets “I Care a Lot” but there is a carefully measured pace to this character-driven thriller that never quite misses the hero’s journey of it’s not-quite heroic protagonist. Dale Dickey’s performance of “The G” is deadpan and subtle – she gives a perfect line delivery in an early scene where a doctor asks “The G” what she does for a living and she caustically responds that she’s a “socialite”. It’s these little nuggets of scenes that prove why this is the perfect vehicle for this veteran actress to showcase her talent.

Besides having great thriller elements under its belt, “The G” is delivers a great exercise in subversion through its character development. When we first meet Ann, the impression we gain of her comes from the confession to her step-granddaughter/partner-in-crime Emma (Romane Denis) that she’s “not a nice person”. Well…she isn’t but that doesn’t make her less compelling. Dale Dickey delivers strong work in the lead but that doesn’t mean Denis is a slouch either. Maybe not as mean as Dickey’s “The G” but just as tough, Emma is another wayward character in this world shared with “The G” that is just trying to survive. Karl R. Hearne has created an interesting world where bad people like “The G” try to survive in a world that is ran by worse people. Or, introducing the possibility that the reason someone like “The G” could be “bad” is because the worse characters who run this world may have given them no other way to prosper or survive. There are some predatory villains in this world – starting off with the treacherous legal guardian Rivera (a steely-eyed performance from Bruce Ramsay). Rivera is the perfect foil to “The G”, he’s ruthless, unsympathetic and is keenly aware of what’s coming around the corner. Another predatory villain in this world, albeit we don’t spend much time with him, is seen in a short scene involving Emma – Judge Roy (chillingly played by Frank Schorpion) is a judge that Emma sees for help with her step-grandmother. This judge creepily agrees to help Emma, knowing and stating she will “make up for it later”. In a world like this, neither Emma nor The G stand a chance..unless they fight back.

Karl R. Hearne presents a measuredly directed story in “The G” – a story about a woman coming to grips with her checkered past and understanding just what that means for the rest of her life. “The G” is a perfectly imperfect character – she can say very hurtful things in public, putting on a stone veneer while crying like a baby behind shut curtains. Is the toughness real or is it a mask just to survive and conceal emotion? This plot A emotional story brings depth to the plot B thriller that plays out in the foreground. With small twists and turns in its story, “The G” proves that heroes can still exist in a story like this, no matter how skewed the moral compass is.

Closing Thoughts
One of my more anticipated films from the Fantasia International Film Festival, “The G” did not disappoint. It’s core character-driven story delivers a great performance from Dale Dickey, who is on a roll from her lauded turn in 2022’s “A Love Song”. There is also great talent shown in Romane Denis, who I’m excited to see more from in the future. For lovers of character-driven stories with a thriller edge, I’d highly recommend this one.

Trailer