The Rule of Jenny Pen is the latest film directed by James Ashcroft, which he co-wrote with Eli Kent. The film stars Geoffrey Rush as Stefan Mortenson, an arrogant judge and John Lithgow as Dave Crealy, a seemingly gentle resident who is actually an absolute terror.

In the film, we see Stefan in a position of power as a judge and how he quickly tumbles to extreme vulnerability after suffering from a stroke which leads to him being to a rest home to recover. There, he meets another resident who warns him of a cat, and sure enough, this cat proves to be an omen for the pure terror that awaits Stefan. Soon, he meets the home’s bully, the puppet-yielding Dave.

Dave starts off quite childish, laughing at the TV with his puppet, stealing food and wandering the halls. However, this quickly escalates as you see him enter Stefan’s room (which he shares with a roommate named Tony.) I don’t want to go further into the plot, as to avoid spoilers, but it gets weird and creepy fast.

Ashcroft’s background as an actor really proved to be a strong point in the film, which pulled such strong performances from the film’s leads to the supporting cast. Rush brought so much range to his character. While of course, his character is arrogant and sometimes downright rude, you can see the inner turmoil and agony he’s in and can’t help but to empathize with his character. Likewise, Lithgow brought range in another sense, portraying a manipulative, conniving and outright, scary character. Who would expect a man with a puppet could be so creepy?

Another aspect of the film that I really enjoyed was the portrayal of stroke symptoms and vulnerability in a rest home setting. The visual effects and clouded audio, really allows viewers to experience what Stefan is suffering from. As for the rest home, often, these are parts of society that many shy away from, but Ashcroft portrays these honestly, offering insight into what a scary setting this can be for some of the most vulnerable people. I definitely see Dave as a metaphor for the terrors that many elderly experience, as well as on a more universal level, the evils of power.

The Rule of Jenny Pen is in theaters starting today, March 7, so be sure to check it out while you can!