Kajillionaire (2020)

(Spoilers for Kajillionaire ahead.)

The third feature film from Miranda July, Kajillionaire follows an L.A. family full of small-time scam artists as they try to find a way to make enough money to pay their long-overdue rent. While trying (and typically failing) to do so, they meet a new, vibrant girl named Melanie (Gina Rodriguez) who turns their plans upside down, specifically those of the daughter, Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood). What follows is a gripping, entertaining, gentle, and sublime story of lost and found family, told through the lens of a daughter who wants nothing more than affection from her cold, conning parents.

Kajillionaire succeeds instantly because of its eccentric characters and their dynamics with one another. Robert (Richard Jenkins) and Theresa (Debra Winger) are cold towards their daughter, who they named after an old homeless man who won the lottery and who they were hoping to steal from. Old Dolio is quiet and reserved, and goes along with what her parents want from her, typically taking the lead in all of their scams and doing the work for them.

It is clear that her parents never show her any affection through the way she acts; in scenes where other people are affectionate towards her, Old Dolio nearly breaks down, unused to such attention. She begins the film resigned to this fate and does as her parents ask, accepting the treatment they give her. Things take a turn when she meets Melanie, with whom she ends up forming a strong connection.