Blue Jay

Short and pleasant, definitely worth a watch if you're into romantic movies.

"Blue Jay" delivers a master class in acting thanks to Sarah Paulson and Mark DuPlass, who play one-time sweethearts who reunite accidentally in their home town. What follows is a painfully sweet and sad story about two people processing the regret they feel about giving up on something that might have been right, but who must move forward with the lives they have.

Much of the ground covered in this film has been covered before, but so what? After all, there are only so many stories and themes out there for artists to explore. What matters are the particulars brought to any one telling, and that's where "Blue Jay" shines. Its improvisational, loosey-goosey vibe feels just right, and makes us feel like we're privileged insiders in this couple's story. Paulson and DuPlass don't miss a beat, and the final scene is a tour de force for both of them.

I wasn't ready for this movie to end when it did, not because the ending felt misplaced, but because I wasn't ready to be away from these people. That's pretty high praise.

Grade: A

Sometimes we have the pleasure to watching a film that is simple and complicated and honest. This movie is fantastical in that it allows the viewer to experience wish fulfillment in a way that the "adulting" generation lacks. It is romantic and kind. Mark Duplass writes a simple and powerful script that allows Sarah Paulson to shine. Their chemistry is contagious and mimics the innocence of love in youth and life in adulthood. Filmed in shades of grey, it is an artistic homage to what life was like before it unfolded into adulthood. If anyone has strolled down memory lane and recognized where life experience has created the person they've become... then this film is for you. (All of the perfect 90's references don't hurt either.)

Simple and beautiful, it is worth the watch. 7 days of filming - without colour - puts the blockbuster generation to shame.

So much yes.

Are you in love? Or, do you want to fall in love? Or, are you heart broken? Whatever the case may be, Alex Lehmann's Blue Jay is the perfect remedy. Here is a film so honestly made that it will make your heart melt. Blue Jay is essentially a two handler about two former high school lovers who bump into each other for the first time in two decades.

It is an awkward situation at first. But soon it develops into a very memorable day for the both of them. There are moments of immense joy and pain as they revisit their past through their present. It's like experiencing catharsis. Indie films, when they are really good, can really pack a punch because they are not bound by the liability to placate the Studio bosses, thereby allowing greater liberty to the filmmaker. And, Blue Jay is a very well made indie film and certainly one of the better indies that I have ever seen.

One of the greatest strengths of the film are the acting performances of Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson. The two of them look so natural (the choice monochrome of course helps... color would have drastically toned down the intensity). Both the actors demonstrate a great range of emotions. Duplass looks the more volatile of the two but it is as per the demand of the character. As for Paulson, her smile seems capable of speaking a thousand words. Together, they create magic, which, I daresay, most Hollywood A- listers fail to create these days.

The film has its share of flaws but overall it makes for a wonderful movie viewing experience. If you are a hopeless romantic then this film is certainly for you

For more on the world of cinema, please visit my film blog "A Potpourri of Vestiges".

I didn't even know this film existed until today (thanks to the people mentioning it!). I think it's good. Something about it didn't completely hit me in the way the film wanted to. Sarah Paulson is definitely the best thing about it. She's a revelation, unsurprisingly. She's such a talented actress and I really hope she continues to get more film roles until she eventually wins an Oscar. On the flipside, I do like the writing from Mark Duplass, as I usually do. However, I'm just not too big on him as an actor, as usual (aside from Creep, the only time he impressed me). He's fine, but I feel like a better actor could have given more justice to the role. He's solid, for the most part. His breakdowns and emotional outbursts were not well acted at all and I could see him struggling to convey any deep emotion. I just didn't buy him, he was very surface-level and definitely wasn't in the same league as Paulson. I hope she gains some traction for this.