The tables are turned in Judy & Punch, the feature debut of writer/director Mirrah Foulkes.
The plot begins just like the classic puppet show: guy harms baby, guy harms wife, everybody chuckles. This time, though, he’s not getting away so easily. The basic premise is called into question when the wife comes back up with vengeance on her mind, finally, justly, putting this whole tradition on blast.
That’s not to say Foulkes is taking a self-righteous approach to the material. There’s an odd melding of source and critique going on here, with the characters not only living in the world of the puppet show (with all the requisite humor baked in), but they’re also puppeteers themselves in some sort of heightened version of the period, misogynistic town that made the show so popular. This would certainly allow Foulkes to critique the culture that condones such violent comedy, but it also asks the audience to stomach a certain amount of it yourself, which will be a difficult balancing act for a first-time director to pull off.
At least she got a veteran actress to lean on, with Mia Wasikowska taking on the reimagined Judy. Damon Herriman is her more violent half, and between this, The Nightingale, and all the times he’s played Charles Manson, he’ll be lucky to get out from 2019 without being typecast as a monster.
This is tricky material, to be sure, but with positive reactions out of its festival run, it just might be worth taking a chance on.
Judy & Punch is directed by Mirrah Foulkes and stars Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman. It will be released in the UK on November 22nd, 2019. For international release dates, click here.
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