Having begun life as a short film back in 2010, Your Lucky Day has now been extended to feature-length by writer and director Dan Brown. The story, set at Christmas, sees an innocent trip to a convenience store descend into chaos after a winning lottery ticket is found on the property. Overhearing the celebration by the winner and the shopkeeper, drug-dealer in crisis Sterling (Angus Cloud) sees an opportunity to change his fate. His plan is short-lived thanks to the intervention of a cop also present at the scene. But this night is far from over as a deadly game overtakes all of the patrons as they work together to find a solution to their ever growing list of problems.
Your Lucky Day opens with the note that it is ‘based on the American dream’ and it is, though not from the typical perspective. This is not a film that charts the hard work and rise to fame and fortune that the American Dream claims to be. Instead it highlights how broken this ideology is. The class system in America is broken and skewed in favour of the haves rather than the have nots. Your Lucky Day explores the stories of several impoverished characters, analysing their reaction to the circumstances that they find themselves in. Should the group work together to cover up a tragedy and share the $156 million jackpot? Or do they each try to steal it for themselves? Can they rise above the lure of riches and keep their morals intact?
The warring ideas and emotions of the group are played out beautifully. No character has black and white intentions; the constanting swapping and distorting is compelling viewing. That the group are strangers to both one another and the audience only helps to increase the tension. No one knows what the other is capable of and that frisson of unquantifiable danger is intoxicating for the viewer. It causes your spine to tingle and stomach to churn. Being set at Christmas helps explain the lure of the money. The festive season is an expensive one, and many struggle to achieve the consumerist vision of Christmas. Add to that one faction of the group being expectant parents and it quickly becomes possible for the viewer to make a case for why each character should, or shouldn’t risk it all.
Presented as an ensemble piece, Brown is careful to not assert anyone as the true protagonist or antagonist. Screen time is shared across the board effectively, with each customer afforded time to develop. Of everyone though, it is the character of Ana Marlene (Jessica Garza) who stands out. The only female character within the film, Ana Marlene, is also pregnant. Both her gender and her condition would traditionally highlight her being weaker. Thankfully, times are changing and instead of being the hysterical female, she is instead the only one clever and tough enough to get out unscathed. Pregnant women in peril is fast becoming a tired trope, but Brown injects enough points of difference, ensuring Ana Marlene has enough autonomy to side-step those issues.
As the group begins to navigate their way through their problem, the world both expands and becomes smaller. New factions are introduced that open up outside of the convenience store, but those within remain trapped which causes the walls to feel as though they are closing in. The further Your Lucky Day progresses, the more siege-like it becomes, Brown channelling his inner John Carpenter, circa Assault on Precinct 13, with brutal and bloody results.
Brown’s script presents a story about greed and its power to corrupt and control. It also pushes the viewer into wish fulfilment territory, stimulating questions about what they would do in the same situation. Spurring viewers to contemplate their own reactions to the hypothetical scenario is always a great way to bond them to a story and the debates to be had here are endless. Certainly a different take on the Christmas movie, Your Lucky Day makes for a great alternative seasonal choice alongside films like Go, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and of course Die Hard. It is a complex deconstruction of the American dream that perfectly encapsulates society’s failings. An abundance of twisty narrative contortions also ensues that Your Lucky Day will keep the viewer firmly rooted to the edge of their seat.
Your Lucky Day
Summary
Complex and confronting, Your Lucky Day highlights the downfall of the American dream and system beautifully. A solid script and some excellent elements of suspense ensure that this is one Christmas you won’t forget in a hurry.
Your Lucky Day was reviewed at Fantastic Fest 2023.
