Jimpa

***

Reviewed by: Amber Wilkinson

Jimpa
"The film’s initial loose and enjoyable construction gradually drifts towards a drawn-out and repetitive melodramatic conclusion." | Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

There’s no doubt that the latest film from Sophie Hyde comes directly from the heart. A semi-autobiographical work that draws on her own relationship with her gay father and stars her own nonbinary child Aud Mason-Hyde, it is underpinned by a warm and inclusive sincerity that packs plenty of appeal. That being said, the film’s initial loose and enjoyable construction gradually drifts towards a drawn-out and repetitive melodramatic conclusion. It’s perhaps unfortunate that I have only recently watched Dag Johan Haugerud’s similarly themed but superior Love, which handles its queer themes with a much lighter touch.

Olivia Colman is playing Hannah, a version of Hyde. An Aussie filmmaker, who is struggling to get financing for her latest film about the relationship of her mother and father - who stayed together for years after he came out in order to co-parent their two children - because of its lack of “conflict”. Her dad Jim (John Lithgow) moved to Amsterdam when she was 13 in order to more fully embrace his life and now Hannah, her 16-year-old nonbinary child Frances (Mason-Hyde) and husband (Daniel Henshall in a much sweeter role than usual) are about to go to the Netherlands for an overdue visit.

As they head for the plane, Frances drops the bombshell that they want to go to live with their grandad, who they call “Jimpa”, for a year. While it's obvious Hannah doesn’t approve of the plan, largely because she knows the idolised image of her father held by Frances is far from the truth, she keeps her peace on the subject. One of the film’s more interesting themes is the impact that conflict avoidance can actually have on people as they bottle up what they are thinking rather than expressing it - Hyde and her co-writer Matthew Cormack suggest that no matter what is said, in the end it’s still good to talk. Colman, needless to say, is the perfect casting here, bringing as much in a glance as others need several pages of script to convey.

Amsterdam brings a wave of new experiences for Frances, as they meet Jimpa’s gay friends and forge a potential romance of their own. Mason-Hyde is a thoughtful performer, letting the emotional intelligence of Frances shine out even though they are inexperienced in terms of sexual liaisons. Conversations across the generations allow Hyde to explore the various battles that the LGBTQ+ community has faced down the years. Discussions around labelling - Jimpa, for example, refuses to accept anyone can be bisexual - indicate the way that though terminology such as the word “queer” has been reclaimed by younger generations, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t still feel weaponised to some older gay people.

The loss to HIV and AIDS suffered by Jimpa’s generation is also well-articulated and Hyde doesn’t shy away from showing that the older man is still sexually active, in scenes that recall her similarly sexually forthright Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. Lithgow captures the contradictions of Jimpa, a fierce activist who, nonetheless, still has something to learn.

There’s a lot going on stylistically. While the loose tapestry Hyde weaves of Jimpa’s life in Amsterdam is engaging, there are a lot of unnecessary quick cut flashbacks showing characters when they were young and, initially, the exposition is also laid on rather thick. A subplot involving Hannah, her husband and Jimpa’s assistant Richard (Eamon Farren), while adding to the general sense of inclusivity, also feels undernourished. Late in the film things take a more syrupy turn and the characters become unfortunately stuck in repetitive plotting so that neither they, nor we, are able to move on. When it comes to wallowing, Jimpa would surely disapprove.

Reviewed on: 24 Jan 2025
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Hannah takes her nonbinary teenager, Frances, to Amsterdam to visit their gay grandfather, Jim - lovingly known as Jimpa. But Frances’ desire to stay abroad with Jimpa for a year means Hannah is forced to reconsider her beliefs about parenting and finally confront old stories about the past.

Director: Sophie Hyde

Writer: Matthew Cormack, Sophie Hyde

Starring: Aud Mason-Hyde, Olivia Colman, John Lithgow, Eamon Farren, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Cody Fern, Daniel Henshall, Kate Box, Deborah Kennedy, Bryn Chapman Parish, Melany Maximus, Hanna van Vliet, Romana Vrede, Ani Sidzamba, Aarne Lehti, Nicholas Brown

Year: 2025

Runtime: 123 minutes

Country: Australia, Netherlands, Finland

Festivals:

Sundance 2025

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