Jeffrey Reiner, after twenty-five years as a director of TV shows, returns to writing and directing an indie film with “Lake George”. It is said that the filmmaker was inspired by watching old noir movies on television but this twisted story feels more like southern California fiction from the late 1900s by Ross MacDonald which are laconic, witty and sad at once, describing a maze of shattered hopes in a disillusioned and morally compromised world.
While the number of dead bodies is quite large here, what Shea Whigham and Carrie Coon do is less akin to suspense than some kind of ironic farce compounded by the most atrocious individuals who however seem to possess certain emotional gravitas. It’s hard to tear oneself away from this movie as it offers much more than numerous films boasting showy titles that flood theaters at the end of each year. On December 6th Magnet will release it in limited theaters in the USA and also make it available on different digital media platforms.
In the sense of age, Don (Whigham), in his middle ages, is closer to being Willie Loman than Sam Spade; he wakes up one day in a motel room without any reason to get out of bed except that he may not be able to afford life. An unsuccessful call montage shows there are no options left: His remaining job contacts are not interested or dead and he is clearly estranged from his family. It takes awhile for us to understand the circumstances (including a stint in prison) that brought Don to this point.
The last resort for him is reluctantly going back to see his former employer Armen (Glenn Fleshler) who should owe him some money. However, although having lived quite comfortably from numerous criminal activities, Armen still resents being just rich and blames “that ex-flunky” for ruining “his life so spectacularly… cost me big.” In front of strongarm Harout (Max Casella), Armen makes an offer: ‘If you kill my mistress and business partner Phyllis (Carrie Coon), I’ll give you what you’re owed.’ Our hero isn’t a hitman with ice-cold hands as he answers back ‘No’. Nevertheless, because he’s been forced into it, our protagonist reluctantly starts watching her place.
Phyllis in 40s can first be seen taking care of an elderly woman outside a nursing home.
Once she had been kidnapped, it only helped to reinforce the idea in her mind that she is innocent and has no role in this but deception; her defense was that she was merely a victim of changing moods of Armen and his jealous henchmen. In a remote desert spot suitable for the purpose, Don drives her, yet he cannot kill her he therefore tells her precisely to go away forever as it will be better for both of them. Nevertheless, Phyllis recovers from mortal danger with remarkable alacrity. Before long, she is persuading her wannabe assassin that they could easily rob Armen of money hidden in different cronies’ houses with him which would see them disappearing into new identities and places.
Obviously none of these things happen as simply as planned. Meanwhile, Phyllis who supposedly suffered an abuse changes and becomes more confident every step she takes. And although she claims never having killed anyone before, crossing that line seems to be something about which she doesn’t care at all again!
With numerous burglaries along the way, from Glendale to the high Sierras with many home break ins and motels in between, “Lake George” incorporates typical pulp noir tropes but with a twist. The main characters lack much sexual tension as he is too plain for her and perhaps this is one of many things that cruel fate had already knocked out of Don. Although Phyllis’ recent behavior may resemble that of a classic double-dealing femme fatale, neither the writing nor Coon’s matter-of-fact performance allows the episode to be read that way she simply cannot recognize her actions as anything other than those motivated by an indifferent, impulsive self-interest.
Even though gradually we understand that Phyllis is not one that embraces such thoughts even as she keeps on saying “I am a good person.” In spite of everything, she does come to see it in Don although only as his flaw. There is something so delicately done about Whigham’s hollowed out man whose will to live barely remains after he has stupidly pissed away all the people he loves that his still restrained smiles at the end are hugely poignant.
The list of supporting characters who are diverse in their own right also avoids clichés.
Even Armen and Harout, the hoods who beat others to a pulp, can elicit a twinge of sympathies from viewers. The book is frequently hilarious but never cruel; without too much sentimentality, it has more emotion than most works in its genre tend to offer. This is further underscored by Reiner’s skillful manipulation of Tod Campbell’s simple widescreen cinematography that gradually takes in more breath taking landscapes as Boscio emerges with solo piano textures that are faintly blues influenced and jazz-adjacent. Numerous painful ironies define this story, although it is told in such an understated manner as to avoid any form of exaggeration resulted into an excellent ending.
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