Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Jonathan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 18, 2019

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.

The back cover of this release features a pull quote comparing Jonathan to Fight Club and Charlie Kaufman, but both of those comparisons actually tend to point out what some may feel is this film's central flaw: how literal it all is. Instead of dancing around the fact that one body contains a straight arrow named Jonathan and a more freewheeling guy who is named John, offering a sense of Kaufman-esque ambiguity or in fact even the sort of "amazing" reveal that was part and parcel of Fight Club (even if you knew it was coming), Jonathan trots out some brief expository data suggesting there are people with "multiple consciousnesses" cohabitating in one body. It's the pet theory of some sort of a doctor named Mina Nariman* (Patricia Clarkson), who has been treating the "pair" since "they" were abandoned as a baby.

The “conflict” of Jonathan arises when the affable John breaks the so-called “rules” of the sibling relationship by dating a girl named Elena (Suki Waterhouse). Due to the ministrations of Dr. Nariman, an implant has been inserted into the boys’ neck which ostensibly keeps each personality on its own schedule: Jonathan has daytimes, and John has the nights, but both have come to the conclusion that the fewer personal relationships they have to keep track of, the better. Elena upsets that apple cart pretty dramatically, leading to a breakdown in the only form of communication the “brothers” share: a video diary they add to each day and night so that each can keep track of the other’s comings and goings.

Jonathan is a frankly fascinating concept that might have benefited from some sharper writing in order to flesh out some of its ideas, and especially to contextualize the rather fragile conceit on which it is all based. There’s a Jekyll and Hyde aspect to this all, of course, and I was reminded of some critical wag (it might have been Frank Rich back in his reviewing days) who said the Frank Wildhorn musical version of the venerable Robert Louis Stevenson tale was “all about the hair”, since the fast changes of character were indicated by differences in hairstyle. Much the same criticism could be leveled against Jonathan, though once the breakdown between the brothers becomes more pronounced, even neatnik Jonathan tends not to style his coif quite so aggressively.

Despite the over emphasis on hair, Elgort does a commendable job delineating two different characters, especially since John is mostly known only through the video entries he leaves for Jonathan to find. But this is arguably way too over labored of a "high concept", leaving some viewers to wonder why the "two" don't just let everyone know what's going on with "them". This would seem to be especially true of the drama that unfolds vis a vis Elena, who ultimately seems to handle the situation about as gracefully as could be hoped.

*Is this name's "almost" palindrome meant to suggest something?

Jonathan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 2:12)

Jonathan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.