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The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)
Reviewed on 2025 October 19
I went into this one knowing very little about it, and I’m glad I streamed it. At its heart it’s all about bullying, and shows other the statements that they outgrow it and ignoring them works to be useless platitudes.
Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) is a brilliant, hard-nosed judge who winds up in a nursing home (won’t spoil how). He is determined to get out, and has to deal with his frailty and a lackadaisical staff. These soon pale in comparison to a nemesis who us a nightmare despite his age: David Crealy (John Lithgow, doing a good New Zealander accent as well as serving up an excellent depiction of a sociopath). There are some hints as to what makes ol’ David the monster he is, but that’s not dealt with or as important in this movie as the question of what Stefan is going to do about it. He’s not physically strong any more, and he’s not sure the staff would believe him even if they would pay attention.
The acting was excellent, which you expect with something with Rush and Lithgow in it. The whole crew did a good job, even the support cat roaming the corridors. Besides being a psychological creepiest that went into pitch-black comedy at times, it was a look at human nature at its ugliest. Here is a geriatric bully, picking victims for no other reason that sport. The staff was useless, writing off complaints about David and blaming Stefan. The theme of being trapped and unable to get anyone to help is always effective. Don’t get me started on the home. There’s one bit towards the end that isn’t a spoiler but says a lot about their attitude towards their patients. They had a violin concert for the patients and of all things, they chose Death and the Maiden as the piece to be performed. Come on. No Vivialdi? No Paganini or Grieg or anything without the word DEATH in the title for your elderly audience?
Three chocolate morsels.
— Shukti
