6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Jonathan leaves the office everyday at noon. When he gets home, he goes to sleep. Every morning he wakes up and there is a breakfast prepared for him along with a video telling him about the second part of his day.
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Patricia Clarkson, Suki Waterhouse, Matt Bomer, Douglas HodgeSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: If you’ve heard about Jonathan at all, you’re probably already aware of its central premise, which is revealed, at least in
part,
fairly early in the film. However, for those wanting to avoid even potential spoilers, it’s recommended that you skip down to the technical portions
of
the review, below.
Jonathan is another “high concept” film which attempts to craft a kind of science fiction ambience without any use of stunning special
effects
or outlandish visuals, but it offers a central conceit which is also handled perhaps too "matter of fact-ly" for its own good. Stories about split
personality are
legion in both print media and (of course) film, but Jonathan plays with a fractured psyche by suggesting that there are in fact two distinct
people living in one body, something that is neither sufficiently explained nor sufficiently developed in the film, which in turn may leave some
viewers wondering about the “clinical” underpinnings of the conceit. The film also plays a little like Memento at times, at least in terms of how a focal character keeps track of his life (or
lives, as the case may be), albeit in this instance the “technology” for delivering what’s been going on has been updated from tattoos and
post-it notes to video journals. Jonathan is an intentionally introspective piece that may frustrate those who come to the film expecting a
sci-fi spectacular, and it may in fact even frustrate those wanting a “gotcha” moment that provides some kind of mind blowing twist, but it does
have
one (or in a manner of speaking, two) major asset(s) in Ansel Elgort as “brothers” Jonathan and Jon.
Jonathan is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb doesn't have much in the way of technical data on the shoot, and I really haven't been able to drum up much auxiliary data; even a rather in depth interview with cinematographer Zach Kuperstein that I found went into tons of detail about some of the lighting rigging he utilized, but failed to mention the camera. Kuperstein and director Bill Oliver create a look that hints at futurism without ever really going there — as can perhaps be gleaned from some of the screenshots accompanying this review, the palette is often blanched, featuring lots of whites and beiges, with only occasional pops of color informing the frame. Detail levels tend to be excellent, especially in the prevalent use of extreme close-ups. Some of the lab material looks a bit murky, something not helped by either greenish lighting or grading. This is another Well Go USA release where banding shows up recurrently. The first time I noticed it was when Jonathan closes his blinds early in the film (see screenshot 19), but it comes back on a few more occasions when lighting changes occur (the film has several fades to black at various moments).
Jonathan features an effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that features some really interesting scoring choices, and huge wafting sounds that pan from front to back. The film also occasionally ventures outside, where ambient environmental effects can dot the surrounds. But the bulk of this film plays out either in solo scenes with Jonathan, or "two handers" with one other character, and as such, surround activity can be a bit tamped down. Fidelity is fine throughout the presentation, and there are no problems with distortion, dropouts or damage.
Jonathan is an auspicious debut for co-writer and director Bill Oliver, and it has some fascinating aspects to it, even if it could have used a bit of fine tuning in order to deliver more of the emotional punch it's obviously aiming for as the "brothers" figure out one of them may not be around that much longer. Performances are a real calling card here, and despite the film's odd elisions and lack of contextualizing information, fans of Elgort might be especially interested in Jonathan. Despite some issues with banding, technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.
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