It just wouldn’t be Sundance without a buzzy Aubrey Plaza movie. The beloved indie film star plays the title character in “Emily the Criminal,” which she also produced. The film finds her playing a debt-ridden Californian who gets more than she bargained for when she decides to involve herself in a credit card scam. As part of the IndieWire Studio, presented by Adobe, Plaza sat down with director John Patton Ford, costars Theo Rossi and Megalyn Echikunwoke, and producer Tyler Davidson for a wide-ranging interview with IndieWire’s own Executive Editor, Film Kate Erbland.
In many ways, the film could not have had better timing. From true crime podcasts to murderers popping up on seemingly every prestige TV show, entertainment lovers have never been more obsessed with crime. Asked why crime is so popular right now, Plaza had a simple answer.
“I think people are interested in it because it’s fun to break rules,” she said with a laugh. “And it’s fun to watch someone break rules. It’s dangerous.”
She went on to speak about the way economic unrest in America might be fueling crime fantasies. “There’s an underlying theme in this film about making your own rules,” Plaza said. “The system, the economy, the man, whatever you want to call it, is the villain of this film. You have someone who was punished by the system, and she has to make rules.”
John Patton Ford, who wrote the script and made his directorial debut on the film, echoed that…
