By George & Josh Bate
The tone, pacing, and energy of a movie often mirrors that of its main character. The frenzy of Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme recently, for instance, evokes the distinct blend of urgency, overconfidence, and relentlessness that Timothée Chalamet’s protagonist embodies. In the case of The Snake, a new dramedy premiering at SXSW 2026, the raw chaos and dysfunction of its lead character captures the unruliness and disjointedness of her film – for better and for worse.
From director Jenna MacMillan and star, screenwriter, and executive producer Susan Kent, The Snake follows Jamie, an ungovernable 40 something living life like a rowdy young adult. Jamie is recently evicted, kinda sorta not really in a relationship with a guy living in his van (Dan Petronijevic), and in bed with her best friend’s husband (Jonathan Torrens) – not to mention, she’s fighting with her antagonistic mother (Robin Duke) over the ownership of their family home. While she tries to prevent her life from completely blowing up, Jamie finds an unexpected opportunity to look inward and reassess where she’s heading.
The Snake follows recent movies like Die My Love and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You in chronicling the steady deterioration and possible redemption of a woman. Unlike Jennifer Lawrence’s descent in Lynne Ramsay’s film or Rose Byrne’s tumultuous journey with anxiety, however, MacMIllan’s film approaches this trend with a decidedly more comedic lens. While troubling to see a woman engage in a physical altercation with her elderly mother over the deeds to a home or basically beg a loser to let her sleep in his van, star Susan Kent imbues each and every scene with a sense of dark humor, which reflects the lack of seriousness with which her character approaches life.
The Snake may not be a rollicking, laugh out loud dramedy, but its humor effectively serves the story of a desperate woman on the precipice of a breakdown she doesn’t see coming. The writing is on the wall for Kent’s Jamie as she makes bad decision after bad decision. And, like the undefinable fascination that comes from watching a train wreck or the aftermath of a car accident, there’s something enthralling about watching a protagonist head steadily toward ruin.
Where MacMillian’s film stumbles is in the rather wayward approach to its narrative. For as unhinged as its lead character is, The Snake is surprisingly restrained in the lengths of absurdity it’s willing to go to. Without it escalating toward a massive climax, the film leaps from one disastrous situation to the next, whether that be Jamie’s destructive affair with her best friend’s husband or ongoing conflict with her mother, in turn more like a collection of slice-of-life scenes than the culmination of a cohesive narrative.
The Snake finds its footing, however, in a surprisingly moving third act. Again, the film reflects the mentality of its lead character as Jamie’s frivolous attitude toward life undergoes a radical transformation. What was once a dark comedy evolves into a full-fledged drama that effectively stirs empathy for our ungovernable protagonist. In this sense, The Snake unfolds as a redemption story, albeit a rather unconventional one. Initially, Jamie is rather dislikable, but, as the tragedy of her situation becomes clear, the viewer is made to see her as a woman plagued by misfortune and mistreatment – someone who has never known what it feels like to be treated well.
Susan Kent excels in her portrayal of Jamie across this emotional spectrum. She nails the comedic moments, bringing a distinct eccentricity and bad-assery to the character, while later conveying the inner turmoil of Jamie through subtle shifts in facial expressions and body language.
In a supporting role, Jonathan Torrens proves to be a scene-stealer. The actor known for his work on Trailer Park Boys (also alongside Kent) is responsible for the film’s biggest laughs as a man fed up with the mundanity of a boring domestic life, only to find his adrenaline spiking when close to his wife’s best friend. Torrens matches, and even exceeds, Kent’s unhinged energy at times, and the duo’s scenes together represent The Snake at its most entertaining.
VERDICT: 6/10
The Snake follows recent films like Die My Love and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You in chronicling the steady descent of a struggling woman, but, unlike Lynne Ramsay and Mary Bronstein’s films, director Jenna MacMillan’s feature directorial debut leans more heavily into the dark comedy of a person’s life falling apart. Akin to watching a train wreck before your eyes, the new SXSW premiere compels in its focus on a protagonist fluctuating from one bad decision to the next. Unfortunately, wayward storytelling means the film often feels like it is hopping from scene to scene, rather than coming together to tell a cohesive narrative. That changes, however, with a third act tonal shift that renders The Snake surprisingly moving. Susan Kent, who stars in as well as writes and produces the film, excels in portraying the entire spectrum of emotions of a troubled character and effectively evolves her protagonist beyond initial unlikability and eccentricities to become someone more nuanced and tragic. Jonathan Torrens, meanwhile, stands out with a scene-stealing supporting performance that, when combined on-screen with Kent, represents The Snake at its funniest and most entertaining. MacMillan’s film may not be a rollicking, laugh-out-loud dramedy, but a dysfunctional movie about a dysfunctional person makes for an engaging watch.