If you get the chance, go see Emily the Criminal. It’s a surprisingly great, gritty little indie film by a first-time director named John Patton Ford. His low-budget debut was shot in twenty days and really demonstrates, among other things, that Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Safety Not Guaranteed) can do a lot more than her usual dark comedy stylings.

Plaza plays the title character, who’s introduced at a job interview displaying that nervous, placating smile that people desperate for employment wear during such miserable ordeals. The interviewer claims his company doesn’t do background checks, but they ask that potential employees be absolutely honest about any black marks on their records.

Falling for it, Emily confesses to a DUI, and the interviewer counters by telling her he’s well-aware that she has a criminal record — an old assault charge she refuses to explain to anyone until the end of the film — because in fact his company does do background checks.