The comedy "Thelma" is now in online release, in which an elderly woman decides to deal with phone scammers on her own and get back her own $10,000.

Elderly woman Thelma (June Squibb) lives a quite happy life in retirement. She has a small but cozy house with a garden, does cross-stitching, and watches "Mission: Impossible" on TV with delight. From time to time, Thelma is visited by her beloved grandson (Fred Hechinger), who teaches her to use the computer and watch old or funny videos there. One fine day, Thelma receives a call from phone scammers who, pretending to be her grandson who supposedly hit a pregnant woman with his car, trick Thelma out of $10,000.

The sum is considerable, and when everything becomes clear, Thelma realizes she is not ready to just part with the money and craves justice. She can only rely on herself, because her relatives and the police throw up their hands, and her grandson is still searching for himself, without a job and without money. Now she needs to get a reliable vehicle (it will be an old friend's electric scooter), preferably a weapon, and set off in search of the villains.

For the script, director Josh Margolin took a real incident that happened to his grandmother, who almost fell victim to scammers using the same scheme. In reality, the story ended prosaically: the grandmother realized in time that she was being deceived and did not hand over a large sum. But Margolin seized on this idea and decided to develop it into a feature film, imagining what would happen if a strong-willed grandmother decided to punish the offenders herself, without relying on relatives and the police.

Thus came "Thelma" – a sweetest comedy that does not cultivate ageism, but on the contrary treats the elderly characters of the film with special filial reverence, and with simple but truly funny humor. Given the rather narrow confines of the genre, which many filmmakers have already used more than once, Margolin had several paths he could take: make a ringing vulgarity like "Grandpa's Not Easy Behavior" or a grim and sullen drama about the end of life's journey in the style of "Gran Torino." Fortunately, the director chose something in between: far from Clint Eastwood and Cristi Puiu (with all due respect) but closer to John Hughes and Eldar Ryazanov with his "Old Men Robbers."

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It is a pity that the release of this film was so quiet — perhaps in comparison with the festival and blockbuster-entertainment "giants" of this year, it (at first glance) is very simple and does not offer any surprises or stunning revelations.

But "Thelma" is one of those films that "find" their viewer in the right place and at the right time. Just as the charming, endlessly talented, funny, and wonderful June Squibb "found" her first leading role (and producer project) at age 94. And her heroine, inspired by the paraphrased title of the legendary film franchise named after Tom Cruise, who is over sixty but still rushes and jumps on roofs and holds onto a taking off helicopter with the same enthusiasm as at thirty, just like him, will stop at nothing — she will seek justice in a mission for herself.

Heartbreakingly sweet, touching and hilarious, sad and suspenseful, warming the heart and soul, this film raises questions about what to do if at 24 or 50 you are no less confused than your 93-year-old grandmother and mother, and how to be when nothing in life remains the same except the thirst for time, to be needed and to do what you want, and there is no desire to endlessly wrap yourself in a warm blanket of memories in a nursing home. The answer, perhaps, is only one — and Thelma gives it — forgetting about unnecessary fears and worries, listen only to yourself, and no one else.

"Thelma" is not just another relevant statement on the topic of cyber fraud, but an important reminder that old age, generally speaking, is not a joy, of course, but it can and should be accepted. Yes, some things can no longer be done without outside help, some things can no longer be remembered, and it is hard to keep up with progress on an electric scooter. But Margolin does not focus on this and does not try to squeeze a tear out of the viewer.

He finds it more pleasant and closer to tell about what he sincerely believes. That you can find true friends, travel, commit harmless stupidities, see the world, arrange little adventures for yourself at any age. And this is not an evil mockery. In fact, his film is the life he himself would like to live. In this part, he is honest with the viewer, and you take him at his word. "Thelma" is also good because in a comedic way it destroys all established ideas about what old age can be.

These motifs are very easily read, which does not make the film worse. After all, therapeutic cinema has been sorely lacking lately, and "Thelma" is undoubtedly a favorite here. Throughout the film's runtime, hints at the seemingly immortal franchise with Tom Cruise run like a red thread. In this slightly sarcastic metacommentary, Margolin seems to try to show what will happen to this series if Cruise does not stop. Then it will turn into the plot of "Thelma." But if Josh Margolin is in the director's chair, the film will clearly not lose anything.

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