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SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

vothty Although the weight of nostalgia causes the second act to drag, the emotional chemistry between the two leads (Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass) makes Blue Jay a film worth remembering. Director Alex Lehmann's carefully paced scenes and surprising tone bring up the fear of what could've been without telling us how to feel about it.

ArdourFilm The story of Jim and Amanda, two former high-school sweethearts who reunite by chance some years later, is told and performed with such passion and honesty by the very grounded and talented Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson. The vulnerability these actors no doubt felt due to working from no more than a summarised outline and having to improvise the rest - often times drawing inspiration from their personal lives - comes through and serves the film well in perfecting the authentic nature of their characters and interactions. Something I didn't expect with Blue Jay was how much it would make me laugh and smile. The humour and heartfelt moments came about so naturally and effortlessly, not to mention consistently. This allowed for easy involvement and echoing of feelings, sending me from smiling to laughing to crying all within minutes. The creative choice of black and white lends itself well by keeping the focus on the story and characters, at the same time adding a notable atmosphere of nostalgia that highlights and complements Jim and Amanda's reflections on past joys and, more truthfully, present disillusionment. The direction and cinematography of Alex Lehmann, and the dedication and love for this small independent project from the rest of the cast and crew - especially Duplass, who has managed to achieve what most creators wish they could, and with less than half the time and budget - pours onto the screen, through the screen, and into your heart. Blue Jay is filmmaking and storytelling at its finest; a real piece of poetry.

STLune As a person fuelled by emotions that I increase and trasform into a hurricanes inside my soul, I claim: this film gives you a magical experience of living through strong emotions. The issue is not about just me being an impressible spectator. It's about having no expectations for the film and then receiving amazement and pleasant satisfaction after watching it.These are the reasons why:1. Actors: I know Sarah Paulson as a good dramatic actress, so I expected a good performance from her. But still I am impressed about how versatile she is, turning from silly behaviour to feeling pain and sadness in 1 second. I haven't seen Mark Duplass before, but he left a rewarding experience. Sometimes I thought that he was overacting, but then I recalled my thought about men: they are just as children when it comes to emotional expression. So, who knows, maybe his acting was natural.2. Script: Mark Duplass took on the role of script writer too. Though, wait, there was no script to this film. I think it helped actors to wear their roles as own faces and transformed this film into well-shot POV taken from characters' archieve. Of course, the plot is not forward-looking. But the final makes me feel happy, because even if it is more or less obvious what is going to be next, we don't know what is to happen after the last glance. 3. Picture: The visual component of the film is gorgeous. It is that situation, when the black & white imagery is totally appropriate (it's like a retrospective in the present: old feelings are experienced after 20 years). The cameraman worked well with the view. As a result, the whole film is a visual bliss.4. Style: What is that wins over in this film is the style, which is fully matured. Starting with the clothes of the main characters (thanx costume designers for the mix of a coat, a knitted cap and a dress with a bright flower pattern) to the interior of Jim's house, from the music to the silence (even the silence is underlining the style). Everything looks beautiful, languishing and luscious, as a red-ripe fig.5. Soundtrack: Did you notice it? I didn't. Idon't know if it is good or bad. But it inflooded the narration, and it is good. All in all, this film infected me with feelings, and now I have a lot to go through for the next hours or even days.10/10

konnernolan Characters are unlikable, there is no story of note, acting is mediocre. This is just altogether a bad movie. The atmosphere was impressive but that alone did not carry the movie. Nothing interesting happens. It's a potentially interesting premise but the execution is terrible, short sighted, and boring. The main characters are just bad people and the male is just annoying to look at and listen to. Please find anything else to watch except this.