Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead for I Care A Lot
Netflix’s latest black comedy thriller, I Care A Lot, ends with a whimper of retribution that feels neither fitting nor cathartic. Written and directed by J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), I Care A Lot chronicles the cruel and vicious structures that dominate state-backed guardianship, which mostly leads to abuse of the elderly who find themselves trapped within a corrupt Medicare system. Starring Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, and Dianne Wiest, I Care A Lot is now available for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
I Care A Lot’s dead-center focus is Marla Grayson (Pike), a ruthless con artist masquerading as a legal guardian for the elderly, who she exploits in order to siphon off their wealth. Justifying her actions in the opening narration, Marla views the world in extreme binaries, classifying those around her as either predator or prey, while refuting the concept of “goodness” as performative and inorganic. Marla goes about her reprehensible ways in a startlingly effective fashion, with the complicit aid of doctors who wrongfully declare targets unfit to manage their own finances, meticulously-planned courtroom appearances meant to hoodwink the justice system, and a state-of-the-art retirement home that profits off the entire cycle. Aiding her in her exploits is her partner, Fran (González), who carries out preliminary research prior to scoping out potential targets and also acts as an enforcer every step of the way.
However, Marla seems to have met her match when she chooses Jennifer Peterson, her newest target, who, unbeknownst to her, is backed by the Russian mob boss, Roman Lunyov (Dinklage). What follows is a frenetic cat-and-mouse game between the two, who aim to subdue the other in their own terrible, ruthless ways. Here’s the ending of I Care A Lot explained, along with the dominant themes and lingering questions that run through the fabric of this comedic satire.
Why Does Marla Take Guardianship Of Ms. Peterson In I Care A Lot?
Right off the bat, I Care A Lot establishes that Marla reigns supreme in her con business of exploiting the elderly, without evoking suspicion of the court or anyone involved in state affairs. This can be attributed to unscrupulous doctors willing to falsely testify in court, along with a passive, unsuspecting justice system that fails to recognize the monstrosity that sits at its core. When one of her long-standing elderly patients die, Marla is hungry for a new victim, excited by the opportunity to ensnare yet another unsuspecting target, who she views as a quick, money-making scheme. Dr. Karen Amos, the complicit doctor in question, presents a potential target named Jennifer Peterson (Wiest), an extremely well-to-do retiree with no immediate family. Fran and Marla seem electrified at the prospect of ensnaring a “cherry” - a term meant to hint at the ripeness of the opportunity, which is sweetened by the fact that Ms. Peterson comes with no strings attached, making her an easy target.
Quick to run background checks on Ms. Peterson and surveying the landscape of her life, Marla swoops in to encircle her prey, appearing at Ms. Peterson’s doorstep with a court order deeming her the older woman’s guardian. While Ms. Peterson is shocked and utterly confused, she has no choice but to comply as she has been declared unfit to take care of herself and her finances by the state. Post ushering her into the assisted living facility and confiscating her cellphone, Marla and Fran proceed to sell her beautiful home and auction most of her belongings, which allows them to reap humongous profits in the process. However, when Marla discovers valuable, unlisted diamonds in Ms. Peterson’s safety deposit box, it becomes clear that the old woman is not who she seems to be, and that Marla has chosen the wrong target.
Why Does Dinklage’s Roman Lunyov Offer A Partnership to Marla In The End?
After Marla realizes that Ms. Peterson is the mother of Russian mob boss Roman Lunyov, she becomes all the more determined to preserve her guardianship, as she is hellbent on not losing, no matter the consequences. Post a string of sequences that aim to intensify the tussle between the two, Marla emerges victorious after being successful in kidnapping Lunyov, leaving him drugged and naked in the middle of nowhere only to be found by the state the next morning. Unable to trace his origins and identity, the state marks Lunyov as “John Doe” and places him under the guardianship of Marla, who relishes at the thought of controlling his health and well-being. It is important to note that while I Care A Lot is meant to be a satire, the second half of the film only manages to come off as a series of reprehensible acts, with injustice prevailing at every turn. While Lunyov’s intentions are not noble by any means, it is difficult to suspend disbelief to the point of absurd improbability, such as when Marla is shown to single-handedly subdue the mafia's intricate, hierarchical structure and kidnap its leader without practical hiccups or repercussions.
Helpless under Marla’s legal guardianship, Lunyov, instead of planning revenge or attempting to carry out retribution, offers a partnership to Marla instead. Accepting his loss, Lunyov praises Marla for her ruthless determination, and her absolute need to win at all costs, which prompts him to offer her a business proposition. This is arguably one of the weakest points of the film, as this decision comes off as contrived and uncharacteristic of the formidable mob boss, who seemed furious and distressed over his mother’s fate throughout most of the film. To do business with the woman who had subjected Ms. Peterson to harrowing routines at the elderly facility seems utterly out-of-place even for a hardened criminal, but it is made clear that money seems to be the primary motivator for people like Marla and Lunyov, who happily share this common ground to nefarious ends.
Working together to expand upon Marla’s small-scale con business, the two manage to create a flourishing empire built upon the exploitation of the elderly over the years, with Marla becoming the CEO of her company and garnering enormous success. While Ms. Peterson is finally released as per their mutually-beneficial agreement, the cost of this partnership is unforgivable: the lives of thousands of elderly people, forced to part with their hard-earned income and personal freedom, spending the rest of their numbered days in a sedative-induced stupor and state-backed captivity.
How The Ending Of I Care A Lot Fails As A Satire & Dark Comedy
Dark comedies, when executed with wit and nuance, can be compelling and fascinating to witness, such as the break-neck-paced brilliance and depth of Uncut Gems, which is both bittersweet and cathartic in the end. The ending of I Care A Lot is neither, as the film fails to craft a compelling satirical narrative, but instead falls prey to the pitfalls of style over substance. While irony is present in the narrative through and through, it is never allowed to flourish and bloom, as there is no balancing factor when it comes to tipping the scales against Marla and her ruthless exploits. I Care A Lot desperately tries to frame Marla as the lesser evil, but it ends up thwarting its own core message by pitting two morally deficit characters against one another, who only end up working together to further systematic exploitation.
While cinema does not necessarily need to portray morally-upright characters or protagonists in the typical sense of the term for it to be enjoyable, it is important to offer characters to root for, no matter how skewered their motivations might be. There is not much to care about for the characters in I Care A Lot, who simply devote themselves to one vile action after another without self-introspection, intervention, or motivational depth. Moreover, halfway through, the film stops being a dark comedy and edges into the territory of a full-blown violent thriller, adding an element of inconsistency to an already-muddled and convoluted plot.
Does Marla Survive At The End? What The Ending Really Means
As the film approaches its end, it appears as if Marla is rewarded for her unscrupulous ways as she evolves into a successful public figure, brandishing a false persona of selfless care and empathy. However, comeuppance finds its way when Mr. Feldstrom, whose mother was snatched away from by Marla at the beginning of the film, shoots her point-blank in a fit of grief-fueled rage. Revealing that his mother had died alone in the care facility, unable to visit her loved ones before departing, Mr. Felstrom puts an end to Marla’s empire of greed with a single bullet before being taken away from authorities on the spot. As Marla is shot near the heart and loses a considerable amount of blood in the process, it is unlikely she survived the shot and most probably dies in Fran’s arms.
While one might argue that Marla finally faces consequences for her terrible acts, the ending is neither satisfying nor cathartic to watch, as it comes off as a cheap shot at retribution in an uncaring, unfeeling world. Even in death, Martha goes out with triumph in her eyes, with the proclamation that she is “just getting started.” Although I Care A Lot ends with the dismantling of Marla’s dreams, the film inevitably leaves pertinent questions hanging in the air. Marla is dead, but her company is bound to continue as there are numerous players in the game willing to profit off the plight of the elderly, so will the heinous cycle ever end? What will the repercussions be for people like Mr. Feldstrom, who are pushed to their limits by grief and loss and forced to commit crimes of passion as a last resort? What of the innumerable Marlas lingering within the state-backed guardianship system, willing to pounce on every opportunity to make millions off unsuspecting targets? I Care A Lot does not seem to care about these questions, ultimately failing to offer a scathing social commentary that a satire is essentially required to offer.