Marmalade

Marmalade, the directorial debut from Keir O’Donnell, begins with the folksy protagonist Baron (Stranger Things’ Joe Keery) being imprisoned for robbery. He soon becomes acquainted with his new cellmate Otis (Aldis Hodge), who boasts about being able to escape from any prison. Desperately wanting to break out to reunite with the love of his life, Baron offers to pay Otis a large sum of money for his services alongside recalling his Bonnie and Clyde tale of how his chance meeting with Marmalade (Camila Morrone) led to his current situation.

Splashed with vibrant colours and brimming with charming Southern sayings, there’s a wholesomeness to the first act of this flick as viewers watch Baron go about his day as a postal worker and care for his bed-ridden mother (Susan Brava), who requires expensive medication he can barely afford. And then Marmalade arrives, driving up to Baron in a muscle car. Baron falls under her manic pixie dream girl spell instantly, with the pair quickly sparking a whirlwind romance. Keery’s doe-eyed looks of affection towards Marmalade are endearing, though the script lays on the corniness a little too thickly at points.

However, it becomes apparent that there’s more going on in this film when the titular love interest suggests robbing a bank. Her behaviour grows increasingly strange, verging on sinister, as the pair work on hatching their scheme. Munroe gives a fittingly off-kilter performance, which clashes brilliantly against the flick’s quirky love story façade. It’s at this point O’Donnell’s film comes into its own as a weird and intriguing spin on the genre.

Even when viewers think they know where the plot is going, the final act throws in some genuinely clever twists that take events in a completely new and unexpected direction. While some of these revelations require some logical leaps for them to work (and will result in a few groans), the conclusion turns the final act into a bittersweet character study that delivers some poignant social commentary.

Marmalade is the perfect example of never judging a film by its cover: there’s a lot more going on under the surface of this crime outing than its overly folksy first impression indicates.

Andrew Murray

Marmalade is released digitally on demand on 12^th February 2024.

Watch the trailer for Marmalade here: