Jumbo 2020

What to say about Jumbo...

The premise of this movie really led me to believe there were 3 directions it could go, and I really enjoyed the way they went with it.

Noémie Merlant plays Jeanne, and really pulls off the awkward, shy character she's portraying. The movie had enough emotional depth, comedy, and surrealism to really make it a great film. I left the theater pleasantly surprised at what director Zoé Wittock pulled off with such a weird premise to start.

I recommend seeing it.

I fell in love with a theme park ride once. It was a real rollercoaster of a relationship ! Seriously though, this is an interesting if abbreviated account of one woman’s love for a physical object. I can’t pretend to know what this is like for somebody but it’s a real thing that affects many. The movie highlights one such case but I wish it had explored its themes more fully.

Jumbo is a surprisingly heartfelt drama about a girl falling in love with a rollercoaster ride and it...kinda works? I went into this movie expecting to laugh at such a dumb premise, but found myself strangely drawn to Jeanne and her connection with Jumbo. Emotions usually reserved for moody romance dramas are used here with great effect, with a compelling subnarrative with Jeannes mother and her attempts to stay afloat after her own past trauma.
Weird, surreal, but somehow touching, Jumbo is worthy of your time even if you're only morbidly intrigued by the synopsis.
Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with something you never thought you would.

Jumbo, aka The Shape of Walter... (Disney?) A young woman on the spectrum with an affinity for electronics falls in romantic love with a ride at the amusement park where she works.
:roller_coaster:
Noémie Merlant continues to be an exciting actress both in her choice of roles and the heights to which she elevates them. Jumbo works because, like the light she touches in the movie, she makes it work. She is the future of French cinema and the future of French cinema, like Noémie's starlight, is bright.