I only needed to read a short synopsis of The Rule of Jenny Pen and settled in—also, John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush. Today, hit play on Shudder. A curmudgeon quits his day job after a stroke and lands himself in assisted nursing care. Unfortunately, it only gets worse once he’s caught the attention of the resident psychopath. From there, it gets worser.
From Bench to Chair
First off, I have a bone to pick. I just wanted to write that. Let’s dig into this masterpiece. Our introduction of Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) is intense. One moment, he sentences someone to prison with dramatic flair; the next, flashes of consciousness overwhelm him, and he ultimately succumbs to a stroke. Now, he’s the one who has lost his independence, and he wanders in and out of cognitive lucidity.
Judge Mortensen is now a resident of an assisted living nursing home. One side of his body is paralyzed, but his tongue is still sharp. He continues to be pretentious and unnecessarily crude to others. Honestly, I expected the despair of this new reality would weigh down the story and prevent it from progressing to any other plot points. Our shared fear of aging, losing the ability to care for ourselves, and ultimately failing mental faculties is a reality we often turn our heads away from, never letting our eyes linger on the elderly. How can our once energetic and lively existence slip away and our bodies betray us or our minds forget all we hold dear? This subject matter should also come with a warning; there is actual abuse of our loved ones by staff and often other residents, most of whom lie helpless.
A Violent Nature
The Rule of Jenny Pen is dark well before Dave Crealy (John Lithgow) and Mortensen meet. I watched this film with a pained grimace and nervousness that I could not shake. I had a difficult time separating myself from the real horrors of our mortality, which only elevated once Crealy revealed his sinister nature.
Mr. Crealy is a long-standing patient and appears utterly benign to the staff. However, he harasses and torments the residents every chance he can. He also wanders in and around the residence outside of the staff’s watchful eyes late at night while residents sleep. On top of that, he wears a children’s hand puppet to communicate with staff and bully the residents.
Jenny Pen is the name of Crealy’s hand puppet. Together, they like to play a game named The Rule of Jenny Pen. Crealy is loud, pushy, vulgar, and a bully. He finds it amusing to ruin everyone’s fun, and nobody seems to push back. He isn’t just annoying; he gleefully tortures the other residents. Tread water lightly; Crealy is a deranged predator. He seeks gratification through physically and sexually assaulting others, mainly Mortensen’s roommate, Tony Garfield (George Henare).
Roommates
Mortensen himself treats Garfield with disdain. Garfield contends with both his roommate’s pretentious attitude and a psychopath’s violence. However, he escalates his nightly torture sessions, thanks to Mortensen’s mouth. Yes, the judge is still sharp as a tack, arrogant, pompous, and lucky him, he quickly draws Crealy’s eye as well. Unfortunately, Mortensen has been diagnosed with progressive cognitive decline. After witnessing the absolute what-the-fuckery of Crealy torturing the helpless Garfield, he is forced to help as Crealy decides to make both of their lives hell. When Mortensen’s pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy’s reign of terror.
The Highlights
Foremost, the sound design is incredible and all-encompassing. I listened with my headphones and felt every breath. I followed along, gasping for air when everything became noise, and drifted away with Mortensen. Cinematographically, I am without words. Here are some words: Every angle, every view, the shadows and light panned in and out in an unsettling delirium. The characters’ faces and movement, along with the background, fade along with Mortensen’s reality. The music and sound excited me; I was one moment still and at attention and the next on edge, frightened. I couldn’t have had a better seat than the thick of this bizarre, macabre tale. I was gobsmacked.
The Rule of Jenny Pen is most definitely not a slow burn, and there are no empty fillers. Lithgow and Rush deliver outstanding performances, and Henare is stellar, leaving the audience shocked and aghast as the film progresses. My heart raced, and I was overwhelmed with unease. This movie is fucked, curiously mesmerizing, and bleak.
We All Get What’s Coming in the End
Overall, I can see how some might not enjoy it because of Crealy’s miserable mood and shockingly menacing behavior. Witnessing this level of violence leaves you pondering. Most of all, you wonder what he has already done and gotten away with.He isn’t going from 0 to 60 mph in this story. He’s been at 60 for a while and drifts in and out of the far left lane. Honestly, John Lithgow might haunt me in my nightmares and terrify me for the rest of my life.
Sadly, there is no satisfying resolution. Desperate measures push this psychological horror right over the cliff. Is there a happy ending for anyone, though? Unfortunately, I am sorry to report, we are left in the dark. And this is exactly where I needed this movie to end.
“We don’t stop playing because we get old. We get old because we stop playing.” Tonight, head on over to Shudder and hit play on the newly streaming The Rule of Jenny Pen.
