John From Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

John From Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 5, 2018

The whimsy and fixation of the teenage heart is explored in 2015’s “John From,” a production from Portugal which eschews American obsessiveness for something a little weirder. Co-writer/director Joao Nicolau picks a focal point in his main character, an adolescent girl, and remains there for the duration of the feature, investigating the daily experience of the age and personality, with the rituals of a summer crush seeping into the deceptive normality of this average existence. “John From” is deliberate, which takes some getting used to, but Nicolau’s observational instincts are strong, finding ways to address normal teen habits and tweak them with oddity, burrowing deeper into a casually obsessive mind.

Rita lives a seemingly normal life in her apartment building. She deals with summer boredom, caring but exasperated parents, and pals around with Sara, her partner in crime. The twosome enjoys the season, hanging with each other as they deal with social situations and boy issues, trying to project maturity while they manage the churn of adolescence. For Rita, the arrival of a new neighbor, single dad Filipe (Filip Vargas), inspires a rush of feelings, with her attraction to the older man stoked by his work as a photographer of tribal cultures. Trying to catch his attention by showing interest in his subject, Rita starts to lose contact with reality, enjoying trips into a fantasy world where feelings are valued and her eccentricity is celebrated.

“John From” presents a casual slide into strangeness, with Nicolau taking time identifying the character’s habits as she enjoys the summer. She watches TV, soaks up the sun, banters with her working parents, and bonds with Sara, with the pair trading secret notes hidden inside the complex’s elevator. The routine of it all is compelling due to behaviors, getting to know Sara as an average girl with traditional concerns about boys, phones, and self-expression. It’s the introduction of Filipe that alters the chemistry in her body, changing “John From” from a tale of boredom to one of purpose, with Sara trying to figure out a way to pair up with the neighbor, finding a possible connection through his art, with mysterious tribal lives in Papua New Guinea speaking to the warrior heart of the teen.

John From Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.64:1 aspect ratio) presentation reveals a very filmic appearance for "John From," with fine grain and vivid brightness giving the viewing experience some needed texture. Colors are extraordinary, offering natural skintones and ideal greenery, while more exaggerated environments, like a visit to the grocery store, explode with sharp yellows and reds. Clothing and face paint also retain their intensity. Detail is strong, picking up on fine hairs and facial creases, and apartment decoration and age is also open for inspection. Costuming delivers fibrous surfaces. Distances are preserved. Delineation is acceptable. Source has speckling and minor elements of damage. Posturization is evident during fade-ins and outs.

John From Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix manages performances with care, preserving thespian choices, including excitability, which never fuzzes out highs or muddies up lows. Emotionality is retained. More active are soundtrack selections, which deliver crisp instrumentation and some low-end thump, and scoring makes a minor play for surround presence, though this is decidedly frontal listening event. Atmospherics are satisfactory, offering a feel for apartment living and enjoying subtle changes into fantasy realms.

John From Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:37, HD) is included.

John From Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"John From" has lightness, but it's mostly procedural, watching Rita and Sara work on their game to acquire Filipe, dealing with setbacks and shyness. Nicolau avoids any Catherine Breillat lashes of reality here, electing to showcase how the mission pulls Rita out of her reality, replicating the wilds of the juvenile mind with subtle shifts in psychological balance before embellishing the transfer of heart in full in the final act. "John From" isn't exploitive in a traditional manner, showing some restraint with a potentially troublesome premise. It's colorful and appealingly performed, achieving a great rhythm when it sticks as close as possible to Rita and her pliable mind, which takes her around the world from the comfort of her own apartment, enjoying the highs of unrequited romance and the thrills of escapism.