THE STORY – 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.
THE CAST – Olivia Colman, John Lithgow, Aud Mason-Hyde, Eamon Farren, Zoë Love Smith
THE TEAM – Sophie Hyde (Director/Writer) & Matthew Cormack (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 123 Minutes
When it comes to frank conversations about sex and expressing one’s true self, you can always count on director/writer Sophie Hyde to deliver on that front. With her 2022 Sundance breakout hit “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” the filmmaker showcased a delightful story of self-love and pleasure that was full of heart, humor, and tenderness, led by the phenomenal duo of Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack. Hyde has clearly found her home in telling intimate stories as she delivers another heartwarming tale of acceptance, family, and living one’s best life with “Jimpa.” The personal touches are felt in every aspect of this film – not only does Hyde’s child star alongside the great Olivia Colman and John Lithgow, but it’s a semiautobiographical story on the director’s late father – leading to very earnest moments, even if the film overstays its welcome at over two hours and lacks energy at times.
Hannah (Colman), a filmmaker from Adelaide, is pitching a project about her father, Jim (Lithgow), who came out as gay after his two daughters were born and moved to Amsterdam to pursue his activist work. She insists that her parents chose kindness over conflict regarding their co-parenting, and that’s the type of story she wants to tell. It leads many to ask, “Where’s the movie?” She, her husband Harry (Daniel Henshall), and nonbinary child Frances (Mason-Hyde) are set to visit Jim, lovingly called Jimpa (Grandpa + Jim), in Amsterdam for some time. Still, unbeknownst to Hannah, Frances hopes to stay with Jimpa. Though Frances is the president of their school’s LGBTQ club, they don’t feel supported, so maybe some time with their activist grandfather (who sweetly calls them “grandthing”) might be the answer. Hannah is taken aback by the idea but is afraid to actually talk about it with Frances, and neither she nor Harry want to be the ones to tell Frances “no.” But being Jim’s daughter, she knows all too well that it won’t be too long until he disappoints Frances.
Once together, there’s plenty of kindness shared between everyone, but there’s also conflict. The film does a stellar job of highlighting the differences between familial generations, especially as it pertains to sexuality. Jimpa came up at a time when there was no way to describe what he was feeling, which ultimately led him to repress his true self. As an activist, he fought for a brighter future, paving the way for acceptance, medical research during the time of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and living the life you want to live. Lithgow is nothing short of fabulous in the role, showing his highly opinionated, outspoken, brash side with his devilish humor, lust for romance, and a little bit of fun, including posing nude, hosting colorful parties at his chic canal-side home, and enjoying some leather action.
That being said, Jim doesn’t particularly understand all this Gen Z labeling mumbo jumbo, leading to a few instances of using the wrong pronouns for Frances and picking fights about sexuality. It’s difficult for Frances to hear all this, as they’ve spent their whole life worshipping their grandfather, and it comes after they finally have a moment of self-discovery while in Amsterdam. At one of Jimpa’s parties – featuring an opera singer wearing a leather harness, no less – they meet 19-year-old Isa (Zoë Love Smith). She opens Frances’ eyes to the city’s colorful landscape, and they share moments of intimacy, which leaves Frances smitten. Though there’s not much else that that storyline gives us, it makes for some beautiful moments for Mason-Hyde to shine in their feature film debut. It’s a missed opportunity that the film doesn’t give us quite as many moving conversations shared between Jimpa and Frances throughout the film compared to what’s provided in the third act, as it would have honored their shared LGBTQ connection and history even more. However, the true MVPs of the film are the older gay men who are friends with Jimpa and help Frances on their journey. They may not be quite as spry as their younger selves (photos and videos of them in the past are shown throughout the film), but these men can still sing their hearts out at a brunch, and the bond they share comes through effortlessly on screen.
When the film introduces a serious health scare and Hannah’s sister Emily (Kate Box) returns to the city, the story shifts back to Hannah’s perspective, when she now has to tell her father about the film she’s making. It’s not really a compelling “conflict,” and the film certainly begins to drag around this point. Still, Colman delivers the goods as she usually does, putting on a stoic front when faced with hard truths of the past and her relationship with her father. She’s consistently charming, thoroughly complex, and heartbreaking when needed.
In many ways, “Jimpa” has all the makings of a truly impactful story, especially with its lead performances and personal LGBTQ-positive tale, something that’s needed now most of all. But it also overstays its welcome and misses a few compelling opportunities along the way.
