Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l'an 2000

For a French-speaking American younger than Jonas would now be, I couldn't always easily connect with the collection of colorful individuals (among others, an unorthodox high school teacher, a couple of organic vegetable farmers, a laid-off type-setter, a disillusioned journalist, an eccentric cashier with a compassionate bent, and a redhead captivated by tantric sex) that got together in this film, post Paris manifestations of May '68, to share their frustrations, their ruminations and their fantasies. But the film chewed on heaps of intriguing controversial issues of the time - many lines taken directly from Octavio Paz and Pablo Neruda - which continue to stir emotion in any thinking, feeling individual. The film is also personal, full of heart and full of intellectual stimulation. It's melancholic and nostalgic, yet wistfully optimistic. Recommended to anyone interested in the provocative issues that fomented the famous student demonstrations around the world just a few years before this film was conceived.

And I thought I was a radical activist in my student years of the late 60's. I was aware of rising social consciousness, rebellion against materialism and corporate greed. I was not aware back then how world wide the phenomenon was. I am still surprised when I find evidence that breaks with tradition and convention were going on in Poland, France, and well, yeah, Switzerland? And from the mid 70's on, I can relate to the pressures to find our place in a world of work - constantly seeking meaningful employment in a system that rarely reflects our new values. These characters, Organic Farmers, Creative History Professor, Sketcher of Animals, Proofreader, Grocery Cashier, and more are still seeking meaningful lives and relationships. Even in unorthodox sexual experimentation they seek meaningful respectful relationships. I am Labor. With my intellectual pursuits, study of French Language and foreign Cultures, Humanitarian Concerns, Respect for Nature - I thought I would be so much more in my life. As these characters, who seem to slowly accept the existential realities of that post 60's burst of Hope - we now pass those hopes on silently to our children.

How was this film ever made? It presents many aspects of the left wing of politics genuinely, as they see themselves; not as reinterpreted through a capitalist middle-class filter or stereotype. Film has been such a capital intensive medium that it seems none ever get made without the approval of some millionaire or corporate backer, and that all structure themselves, and the worldviews they express, to win this approval; consequently people on the left get used to caricature or demonization as their only screen presence. Not so in "Jonas...". In a way the characters are archetypes, representing: sexual freedom, generosity and social consideration, intellectual expansiveness instead of reductionism, atheism, naturalistic identification, communality in spirit, stoicism etc; but I find identification with the characters easy. But it is not Utopian; the consequences for generosity of spirit in a greedy context are dramatized in the story of imprisonment and persecution. As with all good politics, the underlying message is not a mere power squabble; but a reflection on cosmic order, what the right tends to call "spiritual" concerns. The inflowing of people into the energy of the birth of Jonas and the disintegration of that unity after the event has transpired makes "Jonas..." a profoundly philosophic and satisfying story. After 30 years this is still one of my favourite movies.

This movie elegantly captures the zeitgeist of ca 1975, seen through individual lives of some Genevans who in minor ways attempt to keep the sparkle of rebellion alive while their dreams from 1968 fade away, facing the reality of the 1970s. Its blend of tongue-in-cheek comedy and melancholy sadness makes it impossible to forget once you've seen it.

Nice, small, intellectual film that criticizes the political system of its time. Even though the situation hasn't changed much yet. It even more criticizes the consumer society and economy for its lack of humanity. It makes clear, that the government has complete control over the masses, over me and over you - we have nothing.

Economy is going to eat itself up until chaos will rule again and nobody has control anymore.

The characters in the film try to change something, but it seems to go nowhere. They have good intentions, but simply lack the power. Just as these characters, we also get suppressed by our government. This film is not just about Switzerland of France. It's about democracy and free market economy. The film can make people realize how hopeless our existence is. How decadent our lives are...

Watching this film certainly isn't a waste of time. If you like your films a little more ambitious, it doesn't fail to entertain. And even if you can't begin "doing" anything with its message, the film is full of interesting facts about society and simply about the way it is.

9/10 for a smart, critical film that is able to change opinions and views.

PS: If you ask yourself whether you should watch it on TV today, or not...DON'T MISS IT! BECOME SOMEONE ELSE!