There is nothing I love more than when a film knows the audience’s expectations, and subverts them in every way possible.

Marmalade may begin as your typical Bonnie & Clyde tale, but what it becomes by the time the credits roll is nothing short of delectable.

It follows small-town guy Baron, a long-haired, jobless 20-something who needs help quick to get medication for his ailing mother. Enter Marmalade, a mysterious girl with a troubled past who convinces him to rob a bank in order to help mother dearest.

We open in a prison cell, where Baron tells his hard-nosed cellmate the story of the day he and Marmalade met, their relationship, and the heist that landed him behind bars. But not everything — or everyone — is as they seem.

Stranger Things co-star Joe Keery, Camila Morrone, and Aldis Hodge give uniformly-brilliant performances, but Keery truly comes into his own with this one. From teen star to silver screen, he’s able to fashion a three-dimensional character worth rooting for.

Writer-director Keir O’Donnell (who I remember as gay younger brother Todd in Wedding Crashers) creates one hell of a debut feature here, and this is was a huge surprise this early in the year. I absolutely loved this movie, and I hope you check it out.

4.5/5 Stars