DC Fairhurst and Lucy Green’s film could have been a by-the-numbers genre piece. Instead it is fun, frothy and refreshingly different
Audiences have been conditioned to expect movies that are either in full colour or, more occasionally now, black and white – and ne’er the twain shall meet. Or, at least, very rarely: the sassy, small-budget crime flick Pickpockets joins a small consortium of films – including Rumble Fish, Pleasantville and Schindler’s List – that zhoosh things up by mixing both. In each of these, colourised elements are tied to symbolic purposes: a conservative world growing in complexity (Pleasantville) and evoking individuality and innocence (the red coat in Schindler’s List).
There’s no obvious logic behind which aspects of the screen are highlighted in Pickpockets: an Australian flag, a train door, some street art. Often these colourised elements are objects stolen by the lead characters, thieves Jesse (DC Fairhurst) and Robin (Lucy Green), such as a turquoise purse swiped early in the runtime. Sticking to colourising just the pilfered items might have made the technique feel less like a gimmick – but hey, it’s an enjoyable one.
Best TV shows and movies streaming in Australia this monthRead moreThe zippy and very pleasurable plot kicks off with a meet-cute, when amateur thief Robin steals the aforementioned purse from more experienced pickpocket Jesse, unknowingly entering his turf. This kickstarts a series of who’s-crossing-who scenarios, resulting in a short jail stint for one and the other getting stabbed. This may sound intense but, with such playful execution, Pickpockets always feels light and lively. Their adversarial, frenemy relationship builds into something friendlier as Robin convinces Jesse to school her on how to be a great thief. “I have to learn the ins and outs, the code of conduct,” she says to her initially reluctant mentor, who, before you know it, is sharing wisdom like: “Boring is good, convoluted schemes are just going to blow up in your face.”
Except … convoluted schemes are awfully interesting in narratives involving swindlers and chancers, often building to a big final ruse (like in The Sting, the creme de la creme of con artist capers) and/or a spectacular denouement that retrospectively changes everything that happened before (like in the great Argentinian film Nine Queens). Mum’s the word regarding where Pickpockets will go, but suffice to say it does a good job subverting expectations.
Penny Lane Is Dead review – Aussie slasher comedy zips from Neighbours to nastyRead moreA relatively small but very entertaining, against-type performance from Tim Minchin helps propel the film’s second half. In one fun touch, again reflective of the film’s jaunty spirit, characters build a Lego model to plan a risky job. Throughout all of this, you barely notice a will-they-or-won’t-they romantic tension growing between Jesse and Robin, gently nudging Pickpockets into romcom territory.
Pickpockets was reportedly written as a love letter to screwball comedies, even if the dialogue lacks the tart tang and giddy back-and-forth so crucial (and so difficult to imitate) to the genre. Fairhurst and Green are charming in the lead roles, even if I didn’t entirely believe them as pickpockets – they certainly aren’t the scruffy, streetwise type you might expect – but nor did I care. Realism isn’t the point, and their easy chemistry is crucial to the film’s breezy vibes. Plus their fingerprints are all over it: Fairhurst also directed and co-edited, and they both co-wrote and co-produced. And good on them: in a well-worn genre, they’ve come up with something fun, frothy and refreshingly different.