Rid of Me

"Rid of Me" is a dark comedy that works, despite its deceptively slight story and familiar terrain. The film, from writer-director James Westby, centers on the experiences of Meris, an excruciatingly shy and awkward young woman (Katie O'Grady) who begins to come into her own after her husband (John Keyser) unceremoniously dumps her for an old girlfriend (Storm Large). What raises this movie beyond the banal are its vividly delineated characters, some of whom are true originals, and telling cinematic details.

Consider how Westby explores the newly divorced woman's feelings toward her ex-husband through her evolving responses to his photograph. Initially, she stares at the offending picture with anguish and longing. Later, as she grows increasingly enraged at his betrayal, she blackens it with crayon scrawls. Finally, when she moves into a new life and past the sadness and rage, she's carefully scraping the markings off, then putting the picture away in a drawer and replacing it on the wall with a new painting. The film also subtly examines class without special pleading—from its depiction of a well-heeled Portland, Ore., suburb with its smugly entitled residents to a working-class downtown scene with its rugged blue-collar and punk denizens, few of whom are especially attractive.

But the lion's share of credit for the film's success must go to O'Grady. She brings Meris to life: a hapless, simple country bumpkin who is also a fine cook and gardener. Indeed, in O'Grady's hands, she emerges as a three-dimensional figure whose struggles are poignant. On her own and without financial resources, she takes a job at a local candy store. One day her ex-husband, his girlfriend, and their pals storm into the store, unaware she's employed there. Her feelings of shame and humiliation are palpable. Later, as she becomes involved with bottom-feeder punks and turns aggressive—in one startling instance, criminally assaultive—her behavior is understandable, distasteful though it may be.

Other superb performances include Keyser as an emotionally torn and guilt-ridden husband who has discovered he married the wrong woman, Large as his vacuous true love, and Theresa Russell as her conniving mother. Kudos also to Betty Moyer as a pragmatic and world-weary candy store owner, Ritah Parrish as a comically driven goody two-shoes who works in the candy store, and especially Orianna Herrman as a bad girl with a heart of gold; the actor makes the stereotype charming and lovable.

"Rid of Me" stays with you long after you leave the theater. That's a rare experience, indeed.

Genre: Drama
Written by James Westby
Directed by James Westby
Starring Katie O'Grady, John Keyser, Storm Large, Betty Moyer, Ritah Parrish, Orianna Herrman, Theresa Russell