Rating of
3/4
Is Pain Worth the Money?
Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/12/13
How far would you go to get rich? A young couple - a recent grad who can't find work and another stuck in a dead-end job, can only watch as their lives go nowhere while watching other friends in envy. That is, until a chance accident puts them in possession of an ancient teapot that grants them money... as long as they cause each other pain. Hundreds fly as they maim each other - playfully at first (tattoos, spanking, slight domestic abuse) but soon spirals out of control. Two Jewish men (who claim their grandmother stole the pot from Hitler) are after the device as well as a lone Chinese man who says all he wants is to get rid of the teapot - he says all who come in contact with it are corrupted along the way.
Juno Temple continues to impress me and Michael Angarano is a good match as both find themselves succumbing to the power of he teapot - even as they try to hold on to their humanity. When they find that they can get money by witnessing other in pain - and causing emotional pain as well - things really start to heat up. In the end, the question remains - if you were in the same situation, how far would you go just to make your life slightly better. Although it seems shallow on the surface, dig just a bit deeper and you will find a film with a lot to ponder.
