JessL03 Reviews

Kajillionaire (2020)

Plenty of Laughs With a Lot of Heart

[9/10 · 2 March 2020]

What a wonderful place Miranda July's brain is. I think we are so lucky she is able to share pieces of it with us. I am a fan of July's other work as well, and her latest movie Kajillionaire is probably my favorite of her films so far. Some of the characters' names alone are hilarious. I was able to catch a screening of it at Sundance.

Kajillionaire tells the story of a girl and her parents who need to hustle and con people just to get by. Her parents are very odd and jaded by their past lives and the people and government who took part in them. She has grown up in this life of getting by just based on what she is able to steal or find to sell for money. She has learned to mistrust others, and she has never seen her parents showing anyone preference or affection--even her. She is curious about being held, but that makes her feel weak and ashamed. To me, Kajillionaire is one of those movies that made me feel alive. Learning how to love and be loved in return is just beautiful. I found myself laughing out loud one minute, and the next minute I felt quiet or sad. You will be grateful of every good thing you have in your life; not everyone is as fortunate to have a place to live that doesn't leak or even simply someone to hug them.

Dinner in America (2020)

Dinner In America is for the misfits!

[9/10 · 27 February 2020]

I was fortunate enough to catch this film at Sundance. It is absolutely wonderful. The style of directing is very clean and stylized, and the humor used is biting but not trite. It's the perfect mixture.

Simon and Patty are misfits, forgotten or ignored by society. They are pushed aside. Simon is the kind of person who fiercely lives his life out loud by the code of punk rock, uncaring about what others think about him, but he has a good heart. He is often in the wrong situation at the wrong time and forced to make the best out of the options laid before him. Patty is often made fun of by her peers or complete strangers for no reason. She lives her life almost in secret, letting go and losing herself in her room to her music as she dances without abandon. From the outside, she's the last person you'd expect to be a punk rocker.

These two meet and what ensues is a beautiful, touching, and humorous journey about seeing someone else for who they truly are--learning to look past whatever first impressions that may have been formed and seeing the person inside of them who is often lost to others or afraid to come forth. By finding each other, Simon and Patty find themselves. Go see this movie!

Wild (I) (2014)

Wild Is a Beautiful Film

[8/10 · 25 February 2020]

Take a deep breath. Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat until desired result is achieved. Wild is one woman's journey hiking the PCT, leading her into the depths of her past wounds and darkness, ultimately out of the other end to a brighter sky and lighter heart.

This movie is based on Cheryl Strayed's book that she wrote about hiking the PCT and losing her mother. Reese's performance was absolute excellence, and it is completely apparent how important this project was to her. She is lost in Cheryl. As for Laura Dern, I honestly think this woman is incapable of turning in a bad performance. Even with the two being only years apart in age, the dynamic of mother and daughter is so clear and perfect.

Cheryl Strayed is completely lost after the death of her mother. Her mother was the love of her life, her best friend. She spirals out of control into a drug-fueled self-destruction. The destruction and ruins of all personal relationships, including a marriage, are left in her wake. She has alienated herself completely and is far from the woman her mother hoped she would be. Cheryl decides that hiking the PCT will offer her salvation and clarity. It will put her on the path to being the woman she needs to be. She is a novice hiker at best, and what follows is a harrowing journey of wits, perseverance, and inner strength. The movie is told non-linearly, flashing back to memories of Cheryl's past, sometimes her very recent past. The film is able to keep up a good pace and flesh out Cheryl's character and the relationship between her and her mother with this technique. As Cheryl hikes, she is hot, exhausted, and often on the brink of dehydration. Naturally, her thoughts would drift to memories of her childhood, her mother, and of course to some of the worst moments of her life. The flashbacks serve as a look into her mind at the time which is obvious when she is often singing lines to songs that were playing on the radio at the time or mumbling things said in conversations.

This is not a happy-go-lucky film. This is a depiction of a very broken person in pain who is struggling with self-destructive behavior. We are not supposed to be immediately in love with this character. She earns our respect on her trek. The PCT is what she needed to help her transform--to help clear her head and work through the awful grief she is enduring. Ultimately, Cheryl is able to find the woman that her mother wanted her to be on the PCT. She is able to pick up the pieces of her life and find love again later in life while still being able to love her mother and keep her with her without feeling unbearable pain any time she thinks of her.

Visually, I thought this movie was beautiful. It was made with a lot of natural light, and it shows. Jean-Marc Vallee is an excellent director, and I appreciate his style. He works well with Reese--obviously, with the further proof of Big Little Lies.

My heart ached for Cheryl during this film. Her journey left me heartbroken but also inspired. It's quite amazing what the human spirit is capable of. We can push ourselves to do fantastic things, and Cheryl is a great example of this. Watch this film! Keep your heart and mind open.