Blue Jay (2016)
Film Review
By the Geezer of Oz
“Meeting by chance when they return to their tiny California hometown, two former high-school sweethearts reflect on their shared past.” (IMDB)
Blue Jay is essentially a film about the road not taken, only here, our two characters, Amanda (Sarah Paulson) and Jim (Mark Duplass), get kind of a crystal ball look into what could have been. It’s a story of regret and the questionable choices we can all make in life. The film largely only has two characters (there is one more speaking role but it’s a very small one) yet it is somehow enough to keep us engaged with the goings-on during this fateful reunion of the high school sweethearts.
The performances by the two are of a high standard, especially Paulson, who seems to effortlessly work her way through any role and is somehow always captivating. Alex Lehmann does credible directing and cinematography jobs on this film and I look forward to seeing what kind of projects he brings us in the future. The writing credits here go to Duplass and while the story is interesting enough, I feel that the script (rumor is that it was mostly improvised on set) is somewhat lacking, especially in a somewhat forced “reveal” moment at its end, which I could have done without.
All that been said, I found Blue Jay to be a charming, well-acted and extremely likeable film which I can easily recommend. It shows that the ‘less is more’ approach still works in cinema today and should be used more often in these days of CGI-heavy superhero films.
Interesting and charming. 7.5/10.
