Lorelei (2020)
(On Cable TV, May 2022) The only thing better than a film that doesn’t go where you expect it to is a film that delivers a humane message in a genre that doesn’t often have them. In Lorelei’s opening minutes, viewers may think they’re in familiar territory as a tough guy (a credible Pablo Schreiber) is released from prison after a fifteen-year stint, and gradually labours to re-integrate into the community. If you’ve seen ex-con films before, you know the scenes: A less-than-sympathetic parole officer, old criminal acquaintances welcoming him back, a quick physical get-together with an old girlfriend (Jena Malone), a hard-headed boss reluctantly willing to give a chance to a parolee, but on the condition that if they make one mistake, then they’re out. The stakes are raised but not altered once our protagonist moves in with his ex/new girlfriend and starts taking care of her kids. At that point, we think we know where Lorelei is going: the temptation of an easy buck, a shady enterprise, a slight mistake, the cops closing in on someone who now has much to lose… but that’s not at all what happens. Our protagonist, despite a tough exterior and some mistakes along the way, proves to be quite a good step-father. The third act gets going when she leaves him with the kids, taking the film in a most unusual territory. The mini quest that forms the bulk of the film’s last minutes ends on a touch of grace that elevates the rest of a rather gritty working-class drama. The atmosphere of people living at the edge of poverty is rendered well, even if the script and dialogue can be rough at times. Still, Lorelei becomes quite a bit better than what you could expect from its opening minutes. It’s a modest success for writer-director Sabrina Doyle, and it’s going to be interesting to see what she does next.