"Blue Jay" (2016): A Timeless Mumblecore Gem

A poignant romantic exploration of middle-age malaise and second chances

When I initially conceptualized this piece, I intended to compile a concise list of the top 5 Mumblecore films. However, as I delved deeper into the genre, I quickly realized that this feat was far more daunting than I’d anticipated.

Mumblecore is a subgenre of 21st-century independent films whose focal points are improvised dialogue, lower budgets, and relationships.

As I revisited the mumblecore movies from my post-college years, films I had initially watched with great enthusiasm because the actors were around my age at the time and I could relate to the characters, I found myself feeling bored and questioning what had initially drawn me to these films. At the time, the no-frills aesthetics and naturalistic dialogue of mumblecore, an antidote to the scripted, formulaic blockbusters of the day, were noble and creative. Now, they feel like silly, arthouse experiments - ones that missed the memo that technicolor is in (or isn’t it?), and that awkward emotive dialogue nowadays is just dismissed as “emo.” The one exception, however, is the mid-10s Mumblecore film, Blue Jay [Trailer], currently on Netflix. It is in black and white though.

Source: Decider / Mumblecore at its finest - Mark Duplass, Greta Gerwig, Andrew Bujalski, et al

Two Love Birds Reunite

Source: The Guardian / Amanda (Sarah Paulson) and Jim (Mark Duplass) reconnect after 20 years

I still haven’t figured out why this film is called “Blue Jay,” but that doesn’t matter. The film epitomizes the pinnacle of what a truly exceptional Mumblecore movie should aspire to be. This is the quintessential, genre-defining Casablanca of mumblecore romance films.

It’s completely improvised and unscripted off a 10-page outline written by Mark Duplass. It was shot in 7 days. It features two actors the entire time (pretty much): Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass as high-school lovers who meet up again by happenstance at a grocery store in their hometown. Both Amanda (Paulson) and Jim (Duplass) haven’t lived in the town for years, but are each there for family-related reasons. The black-and-white romantic mood piece takes place over a day in which clues are revealed to us organically to contextualize why these two fell in love and eventually, split up.

Reality Bites, But Not Really

As you watch the film, you never doubt that Jim and Amanda are the loves of each other’s lives. You do, however, start to form an understanding of the circumstances that led to their break-up, why Amanda dotes on her stepchildren, and the decisions that led her to couple up with a much older husband. Jim is unattached and has fallen on hard times. There’s a volatility to his emotional state that once exposed to us early on in the film, seems to be swimming under the surface bobbing its head sporadically. It doesn’t go anywhere though.

While they haven’t seen each other for 20 years, their mutual attraction prompts them to extend their time together from their initial meetup in the grocery store to sharing a drink in the park, to grabbing jelly beans at a convenience store (Jim remembers Amanda’s favorite colors), and finally back to Jim’s parents’ place, where stuff gets real. At each juncture, they find a reason to delay their inevitable goodbye.

Once at Jim’s house, Amanda goes through Jim’s childhood bedroom and finds a sealed letter in his closet addressed to her, which she pockets. This letter is the smoking gun that goes off in the final act. At Jim’s house, they also discover an audio tape recording they made when they were teens and play-acting as married adults with children, who were celebrating an anniversary. As they meticulously reconstruct the setting and circumstances of that pivotal memory, we bear witness to a profound act of self-acceptance and healing. They are no longer clinging to the idealized versions of themselves that existed solely in their minds, but rather embracing the complex, multifaceted individuals they have become.

Source: Collider / Amanda and Jim dance to the iconic Annie Lennox remix of “No More I Love Yous”

Amanda admits to Jim that she’s sad and yet unable to cry as she has been taking anti-depressants for years unbeknownst to her husband. Jim questions her as to why she hasn’t told him yet. As the audience, we know it’s a rhetorical question.

Amanda to Jim: "You know, there's nothing wrong with my life. I should be happy. But there's sadness and I don't know where it comes from."

Throughout the film, there is an undeniable physical intimacy that permeates the interactions between Jim and Amanda. Their connection transcends mere words, manifesting in subtle gestures, lingering glances, and an almost palpable energy that crackles between them. The ending isn’t happy, but it’s not sad either. Amanda sheds a tear, finally able to express her sadness. That’s a win. And by the time the two lovers break away, a sense of catharsis washes over us, a relief for the closure that this occasion has finally brought to these almost second-chance lovers.

Good For Fans of One Day, The Before Trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight)

Let’s Discuss:

• What Mumblecore films do you enjoy?

• Have you rewatched any Mumblecore as an adult and realized how much every character is stuck in adolescence?

• Is Mumblecore more representative of Millenial or GenX cusps (like myself)?

But Why Stop Here?

If you like romance films and need some recommendations, be sure to check out, these goodies:

For Song Loops

No More I Love You’s - Annie Lennox Dance Scene