Emily the Criminal (2022)
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A debt-ridden woman with a criminal record enters the dangerous world of credit card fraud in Los Angeles.
The story
Emily Benetto is a young woman living in Los Angeles who is struggling to pay off significant student debt. Because of a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault, she finds herself locked out of the traditional job market. While working as an independent contractor delivering food, a co-worker introduces her to a 'dummy shopper' service that promises quick cash. However, the service is actually a credit card fraud ring. Emily begins participating in the scam, meeting one of its organizers named Youcef, who trains her in the craft of making fake credit cards and performing fraudulent purchases.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Emily Benetto, a debt-ridden woman in Los Angeles with a criminal record, joins a credit card fraud ring after being recruited by a co-worker. She begins working with Youcef, who trains her to create fake cards and perform scams. After an initial incident where a car dealer discovers her fraud, Emily is injured but Youcef tends to her. They develop a romance and Emily seeks a larger role in his operation. However, tensions arise when Youcef's cousin Khalil discovers them and denies their partnership. Emily's life becomes complicated as she balances her involvement in the fraud ring with her personal life, including a friendship with Liz. After a falling out between Youcef and Khalil over Emily's mistakes, Youcef decides to rob the fraud ring. Emily convinces him to ambush Khalil at his safehouse. During the confrontation, Khalil severely injures Youcef. In the chaos, Emily manages to take the ring's money but realizes they cannot drive away. As police sirens approach, Emily abandons the injured Youcef and flees with the cash. The film ends with Emily living in South America, where she returns to her art and establishes her own credit card fraud ring, recruiting new 'dummy shoppers.'
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Patton Ford
- Writers
- John Patton Ford · writer; John Patton Ford · director
- Cast and characters
- Aubrey Plaza · Emily Benetto; Theo Rossi; Megalyn Echikunwoke; Gina Gershon
- Genres
- crime; thriller
- Themes
- debt; crime; survival; ambition
- Premise and plot tags
- crime thriller; independent film; directorial debut
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its screenplay and Plaza's performance. It was described as an 'undeniably striking debut' and 'generally favorable' by critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Awards and nominations
- Independent Spirit Awards · Best First Screenplay · win; Independent Spirit Awards · Best First Feature · nomination
- Production trivia
- Aubrey Plaza served as a producer in addition to starring in the film.; John Patton Ford drew on his own experiences with student debt and working at restaurants when writing the film.; The film was adapted into a TV series by Legendary Television in May 2024.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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