How to Deter a Robber – A Rock-Solid Chamber Piece

On the face of it, How to Deter a Robber revels in the sort of gallows humor one would find in a 90’s Coen Brothers movie, taking place in the middle of the winter with the desire to make viewers squirm at some particularly grim moments. The way it plays out is a decidedly low-stakes affair on the face of it, but there is consideration for some of the trauma that may follow after a near-fatal experience.

Our main character ruminates on the death of her goldfish for an application letter to her college letter. Her fascination with innately sad stories is easily identifiable, especially considering how often we hear about sad stories nowadays, and her voiceover narration pays off at the end when she recounts the aftermath. Even though it seems a bit neat and tied-up, it’s still clear that scars were left and will not just go away overnight. Somehow, it doesn’t take away from the morbid humor peppering the story. It is a testament to first time writer-director Maria Bissell’s sheer skill that she’s able to mine real moments of character contemplation in such a seemingly simple set-up. Not everyone has had beer at 18, but there are absolutely those people, and this movie shows empathy for that sort of behavior, even when we probably shouldn’t be holding a knife while drunk or anything.

How to Deter a Robber follows Madison (Marano), is a burgeoning young adult that anyone can relate to. She’s frustrated, sardonic, putting up a certain confidence to brush aside uncertainties she’s bottling up, and she’s uniquely brilliant minded the way that so many of Gen Z is. Of course, one is certain that these sorts of people of always been here, but this current day and age seems to be recognizing and normalizing individuality more than ever. Madison’s well-drawn characterization is especially apparent in the opening scenes of her preparing parts of Christmas dinner for her family. She squabbles with her mother who embarrasses her at nearly every turn, while the rest of her family just sit silently and occasionally cut in, making the awkward situation even more awkward. This feels so true to life. That’s not even getting into her boyfriend, the sweet but naïve Jimmy (Benjamin Papac), who will bicker with her as couples often do, but usually goes along with her assertions and directions.

While many have probably seen this slightly unusual dynamic before, it’s easy to just go along with it. It doesn’t hurt that the film is just that well-written. Meanwhile, one can’t help but wonder if the film is a bit too wrapped up in its own quirkiness and cribbing a bit too much from the 90’s Coen Brothers formula, but it does at least update the template effectively. The film’s setting also does a lot to help; a remote town in the middle of winter, specifically during Christmas, is a perfect mining source for putting viewers in the characters’ shoes as they encounter and deal with the burglars, and eventually have to bury one of them. It’s the perfect place to make one feel like certain things are unlimited, like there’s a vast void, but it’s still tightly-knit enough to where there’s a limit to that feeling.

In the end, How to Deter a Robber is a film that understands the delicacy of balancing crime and comedy, and it also makes for a rock-solid chamber piece best viewed during the winter, not that it can’t be viewed at any time.

still courtesy of XYZ Films

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd.

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Gabe Guarin

letterboxd.com/misterhulot/