Blue Jay (2016)
This film is in black and white, the purpose behind that was explained by Alex Lehmann as wanting it to have “a timeless feel”. I’ll admit, for some reason I used to have a negative stigma towards films shot in black and white. I’m glad that’s slowly fading. There are spoilers ahead!
We follow two past young lovers on the day they are reunited in their small hometown after many years. The film does a very good job in its small-town aura almost giving a homey, comforting feeling. Especially for those who know what it’s like to live in a small town.
From the start I wanted Amanda and Jim to end up together (this changed a bit when I found out she was married and then moved back when she revealed her husband was almost seventy while she was in what I am assuming her middle thirties). Their chemistry is so strong. For that Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass should be applauded. While they talk about their past, I didn’t even feel myself wanting flashbacks to these special moments. Them talking about it was enough because it was spoken in a passionate way. Flashbacks aren’t needed to see the amount of admiration they had for each other.
The characters in this film, Amanda and Jim, are honest and real. The realness is truly demonstrated when the climax of the film is presented, only ten minutes before the end. The scene where we get the explanation as to why this beautiful couple didn’t initially end up together was full of raw emotion.
There are some things presented that remind the viewers of the good things that come from liking someone and having those affections shown back. One of those being asking for a kiss and getting it. There were also some things that could remind viewers of the dangers of relationships; saying ‘I love you’ in an intimate moment and never hearing it back. And of course, not ending up with the person you are so sure is the one.
My favorite moments were: Amanda reading a poem that Jim had written about her so many years back and her smelling his sweater afterward, the dancing scene, and the importance of letters and how well that was described and demonstrated by Jim.
Overall it was a great romance film and I would highly recommend it for a casual view.
Unrated, 1h 20m, United States Drama/Romance Director: Alex Lehmann Writer: Mark Duplass
Film Thoughts I
film #144/? (of 2019)
