By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/1/24 – These days, it is difficult to know who you can trust and who might be a threat. You can’t necessarily base your judgement on looks alone, though certain wardrobe choices would seem to raise a red flag.
Certain situations have danger written all over them, much like a deserted public laundromat late at night. And if you are in such an establishment alone, it is highly unlikely that you’ll strike up a conversation with a complete stranger.
That is the premise for “Speed Queen 51,” a psychological thriller which had its world premiere earlier this week at the Palm Springs International Film Society’s annual Shortfest. The film, from writer/director Sarah Nocquet, stars Rory Culkin and Jane Purnell as an unlikely pair of late-night launderers who go against conventional safety advice and engage in some tense conversation.
Culkin comes off suitably creepy playing against Purnell’s wide-eyed innocence, a pairing that builds tension from the start. The pair surmises they’ll never see the other after this night, so small talk crosses into a game of “secrets.”
As the film begins, it is easy to assume that the young man may have a hidden agenda for proposing this exchange of personal secrets that the two embark upon. Culkin’s natural dark manner may lead the audience to think he intends to harm the young woman, who certainly comes off as rather shy and vulnerable.
In an exclusive interview, after the premiere with The Hollywood Times, Nocquet said that it would be an interesting exploration for viewers to contemplate just what secret they might choose to share with a total stranger, the juxtaposition of Culkin’s creepy vibe with Purnell’s naivete is meant to send the audience down a road that may or may not lead to an assumed conclusion.
Click below for our exclusive interview:
“I think it is an interesting question for the audience to ask themselves – what secrets would they share? What is the deep-dark secret they could confide in someone and get that sense of relief without the consequences of the secret being out in the world,” Nocquet said, pointing out that the characters don’t share one key bit of information with each other: Their Names.
“There’s no way to track each other down, giving them both the protective cloak of anonymity. I hope this is what the audience is thinking as they are watching the movie”, Nocquet said.
Certainly, the lack of personally identifying information is thought provoking as Culkin presses Purnell to open up and spill the beans. This omission of pertinent information helps the viewer hurry toward a conclusion that is 180 degrees from where everyone most certainly was headed.
“I was interested in having a protagonist switch in this film,” Nocquet said, explaining that the story starts out from the man’s point of view. “We’re curious about what his intentions are. Are they malicious? There’s even a hint of romance in the beginning.”
“As the pair open up to each other and share their secrets, the audience begins to see the young woman’s point of view on the secret that he shares with her and he ends up with her perspective,” Nocquet said.
“Hopefully, we get a good sense of where each of them is in this story and use that pivot as a way to get a new perspective on both of their secrets,” she said.
Shayan Farooq and Augustin Pineau share producing credit for “Speed Queen 51″, and Idil Eryürekli manages the cinematography quite brilliantly. Of particular note, there is no musical soundtrack over the 12-minute run time of the film, instead only the sounds of the laundromat at night.
