Whilst there’s a certain unevenness to how writer/director Emily Abt presents her story in Thirsty, there’s no denying it manages to maintain a sense of interest as it navigates the world of politics, domesticity, and the woman trying to perfect both.
That woman is Audrey (Jamie Neumann), a sharp, some may say ruthless, defense attorney turned mayoral candidate in Oakland, California, who learns the true price of sacrifice in her campaign to unseat Maya King (Brandee Evans), the popular incumbent. Audrey would like to be able to relate to “the people” and run a race as honestly as possible, but that proves easier said than done, especially under the eye of Ann (Kyra Sedgwick), a steely political operative, who manipulates Audrey with a certain ease as she spots her potential within the field.
Whilst she has a seemingly steady home life with her husband (Sung Kang), skeptical as he is, and her struggling sister (Thora Birch) is bettering herself to get the help she needs, Audrey can’t help but blow up her own peace through her relationship with Derek (Tyler Lepley), her far-too aesthetically blessed campaign manager, who also happens to be a figure from her past; to say the sexual tension is palpable is an understatement.
Though Thirsty, as a film, has a certain universality to it, Abt has arguably aimed this more at women. The juggling of personal and professional commitments is sure to hit female audiences on a more emotional level, and they’re likely to see themselves in certain facets of Audrey’s character, whether it be her ambition, her both embracing and fighting against the maternal expectation put upon her, or the ownership she takes of her own sexuality.
That being said, as much as it centres around women, the emotional cost of their ambition, and how difficult it can be for them due to their skin colour or marriage status, Thirsty doesn’t alienate male viewers in showcasing such. Whilst he doesn’t have as much screentime, Kang’s turn as Audrey’s husband, T.K., earns his own trajectory as a husband wanting to support his wife, but maintaining a sense of realism about her success; not to mention his own navigation of his wife’s evident chemistry with Derek, and where that could lead in upsetting their dynamic.
For all its well intentions, Thirsty still isn’t able to entirely come together smoothly. It feels like it wants to wrap itself up in a more impactful manner, and all the stakes it flirts with never quite come to fruition in the climatic fashion they deserve. It’s a film that doesn’t meet its own ambition technically, but the idea that it dreams big and stumbles along the way feels quite fitting for the mentality of Audrey at its core. In the sea of politically-themed dramas, Thirsty has to be handed its flowers though for choosing the cinematic narrative road less travelled in shining a spotlight on the kind of woman rarely afforded the spotlight she deserves.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Thirsty is now available to buy and rent on all digital platforms in the United States. An Australian release is yet to be announced.
