In Mass State Lottery, co-writer/director Jay Karales drags us into a cracked, off-kilter noir where nothing is as straightforward as it seems. Karales plays Richard Rathke, the sloppiest private investigator in New York City. Still, he’s suddenly handed the most significant case of his career when cosmetics mogul Katherine Amari (Sheila Ball) hires him to find her missing son, Justin. Justin disappeared over a year ago. During his internet research, Richard discovers that Justin may be the latest victim of The Charles River Killer. Richard retraces Justin’s final days, learning about his estranged relationship with his family, his struggles with medication and hallucinations, and the final night he was seen walking through a nearby park.
While Richard is on the job, we delve into his chaotic personal life. He spends nights playing video games and pining over his girlfriend, Eun-Hee Kim (Yvna Kim), who lives in Korea. He vies for her love by learning bits of Korean and clinging to the calm she brings him, even as she remains a bit commitment-phobic. Alongside this, Richard maintains an odd relationship with his rideshare driver, Devlin (Hans Lam Barboza). They knew each other in high school — Richard, the cool dude, and Devlin, the dork — and, weirdly, they now both live in New York under assumed names.
Richard’s investigation leads him to a specific true-crime podcast. In turn, he’s led to the one cop who suspects foul play, Williams (Nicholas Goroff, ), who is also the only officer to believe in The Charles River Killer. Evans quickly realizes that Richard is not a real private eye, but he helps him because Richard may be the only one with a real chance of solving the mystery.
“During his internet research, Richard discovers that Justin may be the latest victim of The Charles River Killer.”
Just when I think I have a grasp on the neo-noir genre, Mass State Lottery comes along and blows my expectations out of the water. If this were merely a straightforward noir thriller, then this would be plain and boring. Instead, it subverts every expectation along the way. The veil of reality quickly drops to tell an even crazier story. The fun is in grabbing onto the lap bar of this roller coaster and seeing where it takes you, while at the same time, it’s not for everyone.
It all starts with Karales’s interpretation of Richard Rathke. He is far from perfect as a private investigator, and I appreciate that Karales takes it further by saying he should not be a private investigator in any sense of the word. The brilliance of his depiction is that Rathke is just as flawed as the killer he’s pursuing. It’s just that his moral code is only slightly different from the killer’s. This compromised moral center is what guides the narrative of our tale.
The tone is very dark and off-kilter. Karales has incredible control over it, even though it often feels like he’s about to lose his grip. The result is that as an audience, we are always on edge. We’re always wondering who the real villain is. Throughout all this wonder, another person falls victim to the killer right under our noses.
I’m a realist. Mass State Lottery is not for everyone. You can’t be distracted while watching, or the plot can easily get away from you. The fun is in the character study of all our heroes, villains, and victims. If you want normal, you’ve come to the wrong place. However, if you want your mind played with, well, then step right in.
"…can't be distracted while watching..."
