TL;DR – This is a wonderful character piece that maybe promises a touch more on what it can deliver.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film

The G Review –

In the current cinema landscape, it can be easy to go for style over substance. We can do the flash and bang and also the alakazam, but we linger on the surface. Things only become interesting once you dig a little deeper. Today, we look at a film that completely understands that even if it does not quite stick that landing.  

So, to set the scene, we open with two men digging in the snow, only to find them burying a body. These are people who know how to get their way. Their next victim is Ann Hunter (Dale Dickey), an elderly retiree who cares for nothing but her granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis). She is struggling to cope with the pressures of looking after her ill husband Chip (Greg Ellwand), but her life is upturned when Rivera (Bruce Ramsay) pushes them into a home with a trumped-up court order so they can steal her house. But there is no way she is going to let them do that to her.    

The first thing I want to say is how completely Dale Dickey embodies this role. Every moment she is on screen is captivating because you feel that energy. This is a flawed person with few joys in their life, trying to do what is best for her husband even though it is probably killing her. That complexity runs through the whole film because you never quite know where she is going to land, nor just how much of her backstory is as dark as it implies. You can feel someone who is trying to be redemptive in very small, specific ways. Someone you do not want to mess with.   

One thing I was surprised about was how slow and brooding this film was. If you are expecting an instant revenge streak, this might not be the film for you. However, that slow brooding is punctuated with bursts of activity that pull you through. It is cold, wet, snowy, dreary, and kind of set on the outskirts of some industrial American town that has seen better days. It is a setting that fits the mood the film is going for. Like The Beekeeper, it also explores a genuine issue. The power that custodians can have over vulnerable people has been a considerable issue here in Australia and, I assume, in other areas.   

While I was fascinated with the film, you did start to see some of the seams as we got towards the end. The narrative got a bit messier than it needed to be as it stumbles a bit during the finale. With a couple of the revels being met with eye rolls, not the impact they were going for. Also, while I like the slower, more deliberate pacing, I think it promised a bit more than it was able to deliver. You kept waiting for it to step to the next level, but it never quite got there.

In the end, do we recommend The G? Well, I think your mileage will vary when it comes to the pacing. I quite liked it, but I could very much see how it could be dragging. At its best, it is a wonderful character work, and I would like to see more of those. If you liked The G, we would recommend to you The Kitchen.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched The G?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The G
Directed by – Karl R. Hearne
Screenplay by – Karl R. Hearne
Music by – Phillipe Barult
Cinematography by – Vlad Horodinca
Edited by –    Arthur Tarnowski
Production/Distribution Companies – 3Buck Productions, levelFILM & Lighthouse Film Distribution
Starring – Dale Dickey, Romane Denis, Roc Lafortune, Jonathan Koensgen, Joey Scarpellino, Christian Jadah, Greg Ellwand & Bruce Ramsay
Rating – Around an Australia: MA15+