Thelma Dir: Josh Margolin (13th Floor Film Review)

93-year-old June Squibb sparkles in Thelma, a life-affirming comedy-action romp.

Starring: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell

I never knew my grandmas—they both died before I was old enough to build a bond with them as an adult. Thelma makes me wish I had more time with them. Then, 93-year-old June Squibb plays the titular grandma in her first leading role. She brings 78 years of theatre and acting experience to Thelma and is a marvel. Her character is swindled for $10,000 by a telephone scam, but Thelma isn’t willing to let the con artists get away with the crime. Her mission, should she choose to accept it, is to travel across Los Angeles by any means necessary to the postal address of the crooks. But before Thelma can set off on her grand adventure, she must source a set of wheels and a gun and slip from the grasp of her overzealous children.

So often, the grandchildren, Gen-Z, are demonised in media slanted towards an older audience. This generation, my generation, is depicted as overly sensitive, entitled and arrogant. Plenty of criticism is levelled at our reliance on technology and social media. But Thelma is a refreshing change of pace. The film opens with her grandson, Daniel, giving Thelma a tutorial on how to use a computer. It’s a rare and endearing display of inter-generational bonding. This kinship is present throughout. He frequently checks in on her but neglects his own life and responsibilities. Fred Hechinger, as Daniel, is an inspired piece of casting. He’s goofy and heart-breaking. Few actors could pull off a role that balances humourous ineptitude with the swirling angst of a quarter-life crisis.

The film is ultimately Thelma‘s. It’s a story of a Tom Cruise-like heroine who has to reckon with the unstoppable force of ageing. Thelma and Daniel are seen watching Mission: Impossible Fallout. Unlike Cruise, it’s not the danger of an international cabal of terrorists Thelma has to thwart but bumps in the earth. Both are of mortal danger. Despite this novel concept and the humour that is rinsed dry from scenes of Thelma and her side-kick Ben, played by the late Richard Roundtree, scootering around Los Angeles, the film is a gem. A cool guys don’t look at (or hear) explosions gag made me cackle. It’s a testament to the restraint and talent of director Josh Margolin in his debut feature that he can balance such gags with Thelma‘s existential underbelly. The film isn’t sickly sweet nor profusely melancholic. Audiences of all ages, some born after the new millennium, others born before the moon landing, will laugh and maybe shed a few tears together.

Thomas Giblin

Thelma is in cinemas nationwide. Click here for tickets and showtimes.