Redhead: A strange little bet in a forgotten marriage

Is it worth watching?

If you have a soft spot for 1940s dramas that don't take themselves too seriously, sure, why not? It’s a breezy watch if you’re bored on a Tuesday night. But if you’re looking for something that actually makes sense, you might want to look elsewhere.

It’s a bizarre setup. You’ve got this girl basically being tasked by her father-in-law to play therapist to a man-child. It feels like a weird social experiment gone wrong. 🙄

The vibe

There’s a strange energy here. You can tell the actors are working with a script that probably went through too many hands. Sometimes the dialogue snaps, other times it just lands with a thud.

• The father-in-law character is actually kind of terrifying.
• The pacing is all over the place, like it’s running to catch a train.
• Grace Bradley has this look in her eyes that says, "I know this is silly, but I'm doing it anyway."

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in This Modern Age, though maybe a little less polished. Not that polished is always good, mind you.

There's a scene near the middle where they're just walking through a room and the lighting suddenly changes. It’s like they switched bulbs halfway through the take. Nobody seems to notice. I love stuff like that. It keeps you grounded in the fact that it's just a movie, not some holy artifact.

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. It's not even close to the emotional weight you might find in something like Amor de Perdição. It’s just... there. A little weird, a little dusty, and kind of fun if you don't overthink it.

Anyway, don't expect a resolution that changes your life. It ends exactly how you think it will, which is almost a relief at this point. 🤷‍♂️