“I accrued an outstanding amount of credit card debt in college and graduate school and felt a lot of pressure and anxiety at an age when most people don’t know how to deal with it,” said writer/ director John Patton Ford about the events in his life leading him to write and direct Emily The Criminal.
The education system doesn’t teach a twenty-five-year old how to deal with a hundred-thousand dollar debt
Ford decries the student loan system which is happy to take your money, but won’t allow you to declare bankruptcy or otherwise discharge crushing student loans. Ford wanted to let others know that they weren’t alone, but does not endorse criminal activity. The filmmaker harnessed his personal experiences and decided he didn’t want to write a straight drama, so a thriller called Emily The Criminal was born.
John Patton Ford watched numerous European thrillers to help shape the mood of Emily The Criminal including the French films De Battre Mon Coeur S’est Arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped) and Sur Mes Lèvres (Read My Lips) both written and directed by Jacques Audiard. “He makes thrillers that don’t really have a ticking clock. They’re much more organic and character-centered,” said Patton Ford. He also referenced the films of Belgian filmmaking duo, The Dardenne Brothers to set the shape of Emily The Criminal.
Tone Of Emily The Criminal
“I knew I wanted the tone of the film to be very urgent and nervous,” continued the filmmaker. “I didn’t want to waste any time with exposition. It was always moving because the central character Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is always moving. Emily was always darting around from space to space with a feeling of dread.”
Aubrey Plaza was the perfect actor to play Emily. “Emily’s an ambitious person and gangster in her own right. She knows how to fight for things especially when others are scared. She’s a little harder and tougher than everyone else.”
Despite Emily’s hard edge and street cred, “she doesn’t quite know yet who she is in the world,” continued Patton Ford. She loves portrait art, but realizes that doing it as a career may not be totally possible. If a career in art isn’t going to happen for Emily, then who is she in the world? What’s her identity? What are her career alternatives? Emily’s feelings are echoed in the years after John Patton Ford graduated from film school looking to get his first feature off the ground. His wait certainly paid off many years later with his debut feature.
It’s a coming of age story dressed up as a thriller
After joining a credit card fraud ring, Emily discovers that she’s probably better at that than portraiture. Is she going to be more like her friend Youcef (Theo Rossi) or more like her true self? Emily is pitting her conscious (to make money) wants against her unconscious (to be an artist) desires – her wants against her needs.
Emily is well aware of her criminal activity despite being told it’s a victimless crime. “She may not have been fully aware of the repercussions of her actions,” added Patton Ford. She’s not that brazen.
But is Emily a victim herself? The audience is left to ponder whether she’s a product of her circumstances or her life choices. John Patton Ford avoided the term, but instead focussed on the harsh challenges faced by people of a certain generation. He’s not entirely sure he even has the answer. Ask Emily. She is a survivor and will do whatever is required to address her circumstances. Hopefully, she’ll have some agency and self-identification during the process and find the freedom to do the things she loves without a financial noose tightening around her neck.
John Patton Ford
The filmmaker did some local research into organized credit card fraud crime rings. One day there was a huge FBI bust. Some of those agents published their affidavits online which piqued the interest of John Patton Ford. He was captivated by the elaborate nature of the credit card fraud scheme, “that was so weird, had to be real.” These details lay the foundations for his suspense thriller. He also viewed some online videos which offer step-by-step instructions on the process.
Making Emily Empathetic
Emily isn’t a nasty person; but she isn’t a good one either. Patton Ford leaned into this because these types of characters are far more interesting. “The thing that we’re drawn to is human beings that are dynamic, real and well-rounded. We have empathy for them even if their behavior is dubious or illegal. We may not particularly like them, but we care what happens to them.”
Empathy is more important than likability
This observation leans into the popular push to explore anti-heroes and antagonists since their backstories can be more complex than those of the good guys.
The Youcef/ Emily dynamic is certainly rich since they are both competitors and business associates with romantic overtones. “They like each other and they work together, but they’re also using each other. They’re not even particularly kind to one another.” Most of their interactions are hostile as they inversely mirror each other’s character trajectories. “Youcef is a compromised person who wants to become normal and Emily is a normal person becoming compromised.” They meet halfway in their respective journeys making their relationship unique. “They each help each other get what they each want. Then they’re done with each other. Their entire relationship is predicated on that exchange.” Business is business. Their relationship progresses to stop short of them becoming a couple or business partners.
The development of this relationship took up most of the time during the six-year development period before Emily The Criminal finally made it to the screen. “I went through thirty-eight drafts to get it to that point,” claimed Patton Ford.
Emily ends the film on a more sure-footed note than when she began. She’s confident, secure, and plays to her strengths. She’s finally come of age as she embraces her teaching career in South America.
