Spoiler Notification: This review describes the film in very broad strokes and doesn't betray any specific plot details or conclusions. But in some senses it could be considered to spoil the overall content of the film (e.g. by detailing what percentage of the film is dedicated to one concept, and which percentage to the other). I wouldn't consider it spoilers, but depending on how "fresh" you intend to come into your movie viewing, your perspective my differ. The film is available for free on Netflix and Amazon Prime so you may as well watch it first if you are inclined.
When I heard this movie existed, I immediately had to watch it; although the inconsistent tone was obvious even just from the synopsis blurb. A lesbian romance werewolf film? Where are they going with this?
The cheesy intro scene paints Jack & Diane as a dimestore werewolf b-movie. But 90% of the film seems to ignore the werewolf subplot entirely, and what we have is just a tender and tumultuous romance story about two teenage lesbians not unlike ones you've seen before.
As a romance film it is exceptional, with shades of all the greats like Fucking Amal and My Summer of Love, though it doesn't reach those heights. It's a little on the impressionistic side, which I don't favor, but the romance and storyline are real enough to sustain it. There were moments of genuine poignancy. The characters weren't quite as fleshed out as they could have been, but the important aspects shine through and by the end I found myself believing in both these people, and feeling for their struggle. At its best there were definite tidbits in which the uncomfortable, emphatic, mind-boggling experience of young love is fully invoked, coaxed from the ether.
As a horror film, on the other hand, well if that's all you're watching it for you'll be disappointed, but it's competent enough at sewing horror when it tries to be. Jack & Diane may not have 1/10th the balance of rich horror/romance tones cultivated by critical favorite Let the Right One In, but I found the 'scary' moments in J&D a dozen times more effective than any in LTRO. The imbalance actually serves to make the little shards of horror all the more unexpected and jarring.
And then there's by far the most horrific scene in the film, which has nothing to do with werewolves. This movie takes one peculiar, unforeseeable foray into cinema verite rape, defying all convention and (possibly) good story telling. Admittedly the scene does have genuine plot repercussions, even though it involves neither of our main characters. However, the sheer length of it was definitely unnecessary, and there are dozens of other viable ways the necessary plot function could have been reasonably achieved, so I do find myself questioning the wisdom of creating this scene. Mind you this isn't some graphic I Spit On Your Grave type segment, but the "found footage" Point-of-View makes it rather harrowing all the same. Maybe the film's creators wanted to remind the audience that this is, in fact, a horror movie, even if only 10% of the time.
The rape scene threw me off completely and I did have trouble getting back into the film afterward... but eventually I managed to come back into it with about 89% of the enthusiasm I had before that point. I was especially won over by the hilariously awkward privates-shaving scene, the perfect kind of coming of age fodder to show the unnerving newness of being young and in love.
All in all I found Jack & Diane genuinely shocking and when it took its turns to horror, I sincerely couldn't guess what the outcome would be. Is one of them going to end up dead? Both of them? Is it imaginary/symbolic or real? I'm sure the point of the werewolf was some thinly veiled Ginger Snapsian subtext, but I've yet to quite work out the theme as yet. No doubt repeated viewings will illuminate the mystery.
Overall I was very satisfied with Jack & Diane. Given the uncanny mix of content matter, it could have been an all-time favorite film for me -- with some heavy editing. But as is, it's still one of my favorite romance dramas (number 5 or 6 at the moment) and I can't fault a great film for being (merely) great. The soundtrack was also good. Very hip as well as varied.
I've long felt that horror and romance are destined to combine into some amazing, all-time favorite film for me. I thought that film would be Let the Right One In, until I actually watched Let the Right One In. Jack & Diane isn't quite there either, but we're getting closer. Funny that I've never really cared for werewolves and still don't, but between this and the impeccable Ginger Snaps 2, werewolves are starting to takeover my list of favorite films.
This movie was actually in my Watchlist, so when I saw that you had reviewed it (and that it was available on Netflix), I sat down and watched it. I really didn't understand the "werewolf" parts, other than that they made for some really creepy (but cool) dream sequences. But regardless, it was a very sweet romance. Juno Temple as Diane was absolutely radiant.
ReplyDeleteI didn't understand the werewolf parts either but I've read others saying it was the manifestation of their fear from first love, how vulnerable and emotional it makes them. That makes a lot of sense, she starts getting the nose bleeds and becomes the werewolf when she starts falling in love. She dreams of eating her literally when she's feeling anxiety over the prospect of eating her sexually. And then the monster strikes again when Diane is supposed to leave, and Jack is terrified of that. (Honestly that scene in the dark scared me!) So I'm going with that as the explanation.
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to try to fit the rape sequence into the werewolf concept; as in, sexuality is a monster, both physically (rape) and psychologically (werewolf). Except that the two girls never hurt each other. I mean, even emotionally they barely did anything bad to each other because of their love.
So as much as I'd like to make some sense out of such a random scene, I have to contend they threw the rape in just as a way to get Jack & Diane back together. It's certainly not the first time I've seen a family tragedy conveniently emerge to immediately mend fences for a feuding couple in a romance book or movie. Petty differences tend to shrink when a real need arises, kind of like President Reagan's 'ole "if suddenly there was a threat to this world from another planet, how quickly we'd forget all the local differences we have between nations."
Oh and Ellen Page was originally attached to this movie. That would have been interesting.
I could see Ellen Page as the Jack character, but nobody, famous or not, could have outdone Juno Temple as Diane.
ReplyDeleteI obviously have some concerns with the "sexuality is a monster" symbolic theory. I submit that sexuality CAN be a monster, but I find it troubling to identify sexual desire and rape by the same mechanism. After all, even if these girls are trying to tame the beast of their sexual desires, it's not like the other girl was raped by actual werewolves. I'm just not comfortable with the whole idea that sex is a weapon by default, that you have to tame in order to use appropriately. It is a desire, like other kinds of desires, and the people who go out and rape people are not victims of their sexual desire - they're just bad people who let their desires overcome any concern for ethics and the rights of other people. I think that, if anything, love and romantic passion is as much a monster as sexual attraction (while it's the latter that usually gets all the bad press), but even then, it can be problematic to define love as a dangerous force that must be tamed, as opposed to a beautiful force that can nevertheless lead those who are not careful down a dangerous path.
Anyway, it's interesting that the movie inspires this much speculation, I just wish it were a bit clearer on what, actually, it was trying to say. The werewolf has, obviously, been used as a metaphor for sex (and especially first sexual experiences) in the past, and it's true that sex can be a scary thing to the inexperienced. But, naturally, I'm drawn to the optional revelation that the werewolf, when given a chance, is actually a nice guy who's not trying to hurt you.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elijamerica/3054445320/