Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
You might be ready for Blue Jay’s arrival on Netflix today, but is your heart? Go ahead and tell that ticker it’s about to go through some shit.
Without spoiling any more about 2016’s finest indie drama, all you need to know is that the Duplass Brothers-produced film is on Netflix today and you should very much watch it at your earliest convenience. Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson star as Jim and Amanda, former high school sweethearts who run into each other in their hometown grocery store after not laying eyes on each other for nearly 20 years. (Could you even imagine!?)
In my chat with Duplass and Paulson from October when the film hit VOD, they revealed they were both scared to work off only an outline Duplass wrote, which meant no formal script; their impressive chemistry serving as their only crutch. That chemistry is not only there in abundance, but also affords them each to do some of the best acting of their careers. The openness, the realism, and the vulnerability of these characters is powerful and rarely witnessed on screen this way.
While I hesitate to ever diagnose something as giving you “the feels”, if there was going to be an appropriate time to use that phrase, it’s here. Stylistic choices, such as the entire movie being in black and white, keep these two average folks at the center of a film that plays as quite extraordinary at times. A story about two
people with a past can seem very simplistic, but perhaps that’s exactly what makes it as impactful as it proves to be.
Blue Jay could just as easily be performed on a theater stage, but the film allows for the subtleties and sweet moments to sneak their way into your heart, while the awkwardness of both reminiscing and remaining honest about the present will grab you and never let go. You’ll never want this one to end, and the good news is that this story stays with you long after the credits roll. So many elements of this film make it a rare breed, and that specialness is exactly why it’s not to be missed.
[Watch Blue Jay on Netflix]
