"JONATHAN" // TRIBECA 2018 REVIEW
There’s a lot to explore in JONATHAN, and a lot that I don’t want to give away. It’s a symbolism heavy, slow burn sci-fi thriller, one that has shades of many films that have come before it. And although you can’t fully call it a completely “original idea,” I truly enjoyed the route they took, the slower pace it traveled, and was hooked by Ansel Elgort’s lead performance. Here he plays Jonathan, a young man living a very ordinary, and some might even say boring, life. He doesn’t have any friends but has a successful career, enjoys his job and at the end of the night records a video for his roommate John. Which as we find out, is also played by Elgort. John is much more outgoing and not nearly as reserved as his roommate Jonathan. But why are they played as the same actor. Are they living in two different places? Are they twins? Is it two realities? I had a lot of these burning questions going through my head and the twisty and meaty script takes it time to answer it and when it does, the film explores them instead of answering them.
Does that sound confusing? It really isn’t, but this review may be as I try to stay spoiler free. Director Bill Oliver’s emotionally powerful film is a quiet gem, one that lets Elgort really show a great range. He’s backed up by some great supporting roles, filled out by Suki Waterhouse, Patricia Clarkson, and Matt Bomer in roles that…well I won’t quite reveal who they are, or how they interact with Jonathan or John. But the unraveling of who these two people are, why they never interact, and where their journey leads them is a graceful and thrilling ride and a sci-fi film that doesn’t rely on huge special effects. It instead relies on simple and troubled human emotions and digs deep into you as it does.
VERDICT: SEE IT
WRITTEN BY Peter Nickowitz, Bill Oliver, Gregory Davis. DIRECTED BY Bill Oliver. STARRING Ansel Elgort, Suki Waterhours, Patricia Clarkson, Matt Bomer. Playing as part of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.