Sue

A movie that succeeds on vibes, that is amateurish and charming for it. The script is empathetic and exploitative in turns, feeling for and looking down on Sue, and delivers a solid portrait of a static, lonely life. The acting is all over the place, but anchored by Anna Thompson’s aching performance as the lead. While you feel for Sue, and it succeeds in showing a harsh monotony that breaks you down a little more each day and climbing back up takes a courage and hopeful openness to take outstretched hands you no longer have, the narrative still lacks propulsion and kind of just teeters off by the end. And the direction is workmanlike but not exceptional. I like Sue perhaps a little more than I should, like many of the people in the film, and I’m intrigued by the rest of this thematic trilogy.