By George & Josh Bate
Worryingly prescient with its commentary, yet entertaining with its tension and central mystery, Jollyface is an exciting indie find at this year’s Fantastic Fest.
From writer-director Justin Floyd, Jollyface follows Blair (Emily Kimball), a young white woman in a serious romantic relationship with a black man named Nick (Kofi Siriboe). When Nick is suddenly killed in a random act of violence, Blair retreats inward as she struggles to make sense of her devastating loss. But she soon realizes that the same forces that were responsible for Nick’s death also have her in their sights.
Jollyface exists in the same lineage as racial psychological thrillers like Get Out and Lakeview Terrace that comment on dominant society’s disdain for interracial relationships. Blair and Nick are a lovely couple, even if Blair inadvertently fashions herself as a white savior figure at times. She spurs into action when she believes Nick is being glared at in a restaurant, only to eventually recognize that her concerns were unfounded and, using her words, she was behaving like a “Karen.”
Nick, on the other hand, takes a much more leisurely approach to potential microaggressions, indicative of a man who has faced a lifetime of such injustice and has matured to a point in life in which he knows which battles are worth fighting and which are not.
When Nick is suddenly killed, a romance film evolves into a mystery. Blair hounds the police, who have nothing in the way of evidence or clues to discern the identity of Nick’s killer. She turns to social media for help, but this decision is ultimately ill-advised as it irks the police and prevents her from gaining access to the video footage of Nick’s murder.
The film’s middle act intrigues with its central mystery, despite Blair’s difficulties finding answers. Instead, the answers find her in a third act that pivots into full home invasion thriller territory. The ultimate reveals are rather predictable, yet they give way to some pretty interesting and pointed commentary on modern racism. Intelligently, rather than leaning too heavy-handedly into the messaging, Floyd never loses sight of the entertainment value he aims to deliver to audiences. He could have easily made a more subtle commentary on race, but he knows uncomfortable truths are sometimes best exposed within the confines of more approachable and thrilling genre fare.
This doesn’t mean, however, that Floyd lacks something interesting to say. His satirization of Juneteenth as a holiday celebrated with decorations sold at grocery stores and people wishing “Happy Juneteenth” to one another is just one of the ways in which Floyd pushes back against conventional progressive understandings of racial identity.
Floyd also applies a keen eye for shot composition and lighting in his feature debut. Jollyface is gorgeously shot and lit, in turn appearing like a film in possession of financial resources far beyond its micro-budget status. Floyd makes excellent, inventive use of a single location that serves as the primary setting for two-thirds of the film, while knowing exactly when to cut away and when to linger on a moment to maximize tension.
Dexter: Resurrection star Emily Kimball makes for a solid protagonist in Jollyface. Her character’s pseudo-white savior personality and metaphorical blackface never undercut the care and empathy the audience has for her, which only amplifies as the story progresses and Blair is faced with threats to her life.
VERDICT: 7/10
Jollyface is an exciting indie find at this year’s Fantastic Fest, worryingly prescient with its commentary yet entertaining with its tension and central mystery. From writer-director Justin Floyd, the film exists in the same lineage as racial psychological thrillers like Get Out and Lakeview Terrace and moves through the romance, mystery, and home invasion thriller genres as it progresses. Jollyface offers pointed commentary on modern racism, interracial relationships, microaggressions, and conventional progressive understandings of racial identity, while Floyd intelligently never loses sight of the entertainment value he aims to deliver. Despite some predictable reveals, the film intrigues with its central mystery, gorgeously shot and lit visuals, inventive use of a single location, and excellent sense of tension, while Emily Kimball makes for a solid protagonist whose pseudo-white savior personality and metaphorical blackface never undercut the care and empathy the audience has for her.