THELMA

genres:

Action
|
Adventure
|
Comedy
93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) is strong, sturdy and in-charge – defying a lifetime of odds she’s successfully brushed off assisted living well into her nineties, instead, living alone in her cherished condo. Her independent world is rocked though, when she falls victim to elder-abusing phone scammers posing as her beloved grandson, Daniel (Fred Hechinger), and regrettably sends them $10,000 in cash. With her family now worried that she’s entering a “new phase,” Thelma decides to do the unthinkable — confront the scammers and get her money back — enlisting the help of a reluctant old friend, Ben (Richard Roundtree), and his high-powered mobility scooter, in a perilous mission across Los Angeles, determined to prove she’s just as capable as ever.

 

At once a celebration and playful subversion of the action genre as well as a soulful exploration of aging and autonomy – THELMA is a showcase for our oldest generation, those rarely centered in life, let alone on-screen. For first-time feature writer/director Josh Margolin, the film serves as a love letter to the exploits of his real-life grandmother, transforming her into a nonagenarian action star and the hero of his debut. Here, the fearless, 93-year-old June Squibb steps into a leading role for the first time in her storied 70-year-career – and Richard Roundtree, miles away from his iconic Shaft, plays her partner-in-crime with vulnerability and quiet strength. Featuring a nuanced, touching performance from break-out star Fred Hechinger and buoyed by the hilarious Parker Posey and Clark Gregg as Thelma’s distressed family, anxious to track their aging matriarch down – THELMA is an “action” comedy unlike any other.

 

THELMA marks the wonderful, brilliant Richard Roundtree’s final on-screen performance and we dedicate the film, in loving memory, to him.


Credits

Director(s):

Josh Margolin

Producer(s):

Zoë Worth, Chris Kaye, Karl Spoerri, Viviana Vezzani, Nicholas Weinstock, Benjamin Simpson

Writer(s):

Josh Margolin

Cast:

June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, Malcolm McDowell

Cinematographer(s):

David Bolen

Showtimes


Details

Premiere Status:

HAWAI‘I PREMIERE

event types:

Film

countries:

United States

Year:

2024

Running Time:

97 Minutes

Language(s):

English

Screening Dates:

Mar 27