A minute into the trailer for Marmalade, it’s easy to write this off as a manic pixie dream girl kind of movie. Joe Keery‘s character is living a boring life as a postman while taking care of his ailing mother. But then his entire life changes when he meets a blonde mysterious girl with a pink coat, a cool car, and a larger-than-life personality played by Camila Morrone.
As their lives become intertwined, she convinces him to join her in a life of crime and heists. Any other director or writer would make it so they have a wild Bonnie and Clyde adventure, but Keir O’Donnell has decided to twist it all about and make it so love turns to slight terror as Keery’s character realizes that Marmalade is a force to be reckoned with that has left a path of destruction behind her.
That’s where Aldis Hodge‘s character Otis steps in. He’s part of Marmalade’s past and he’s been chasing her for a while because she was part of that path of destruction. According to IMDb, this movie “follows a man in jail who narrates the colorful tale of a romantic bank heist to his cunning cellmate to escape and reunite with the alluring love of his life.” And from the trailer, we’re led to believe that Keery is the one recounting this story of trying to reunite with his love, but Hodge’s character is dressed in prison oranges.
All together Marmalade is intriguing AF. Initially, it was because of Keery, despite the truly horrifying hair. But my interest is firmly in who Marmalade is and how much destruction she’s going to cause. Because she isn’t the escape or the fantasy. She’s her own person who seems to want to tear things up. And I hope this movie leans into that and makes her the one everyone should fear and who survives to cause even more destruction.
Watch the official trailer below:
Marmalade will be available to rent on February 9, 2024.
