The Snake

Bluesky

Although some people have always set their sights on becoming millionaires or billionaires, for most people the American Dream is more modest. All they want is a little house and enough money coming in to get by without a struggle. That’s really all that Jamie (Susan Kent) wants too, but although she’s in her forties, she’s at the edge of a generation which doesn’t expect it to be possible except by means of inheritance. With the economy being what it is, there doesn’t seem much point in trying to earn enough to buy a place, so she doesn’t waste her time trying.

To a certain kind of man, Jamie’s lifestyle, wearing what she wants and conducting herself how she sees fit, looks like freedom. In reality, it takes a lot of toughness to get by. Her mother hates her; they call each other ‘toilet face’. Other women mostly distrust her, or should. True friendship comes from a gay man, who is not competing for the same resources and adheres to the principles of queer fam – people taking care of each other because rejection by mainstream society is commonplace. She also finds sympathy from women working in the justice system, who have seen plenty of others in her situation before.

Jenna MacMillan’s film, which screened as part of SXSW 2026, begins when Jamie’s mother flatly refuses to let her back into their little pink house after her latest arrest. Jamie is furious, not least because she contends that her grandmother left that house to her. She tries moving in with her boyfriend Davey Danger (Dan Petroijevic), who lives in his van, but although she repeatedly insists that it’s love, they can’t get along. The rest of the film sees her moving from one precarious situation to another, burning bridges, until a different kind of love offers the chance for a new beginning.

Although it’s dealing with potentially grim situations – homelessness, codependency, petty crime – the film is consistently entertaining. It doesn’t shy away from the real pain that Jamie sometimes experiences – and inflicts – but it celebrates her resilience. The courage that keeps her going and the ferocity with which she fights her corner make her a compelling character. Much of the comedy comes from the crudity and clumsiness of her approach, but it never feels as if MacMillan is mocking her, and Kent gives it her all. Instead of looking down on people in her situation, it provides a rare chance to see their perspective within (fairly) mainstream cinema. There is also a good deal of comedy that emerges from other people’s inability to handle Jamie, or the slightest upset to their carefully curated lives. Then there’s the hypocrisy of those who perceived themselves as the respectable people. Referring to their schooldays, an old friend of Jamie’s remarks “Back then, everybody thought that I was the hot one who wasn’t going to amount to anything.”

It is also very much a film made from a woman’s perspective. Though Jamie retains her affection for Davey, none of the men comes across well. Heterosexuality doesn’t do particularly well either. Importantly, the film doesn’t require Jamie to fundamentally change who she is in order to be redeemed. She may be the kind of person you initially think of as a nightmare, but by the end, what good things she has in her life feel earned. What’s more, whilst her brutal honesty and self-centredness may make her hard to be around, it makes her a lot of fun to watch.

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