"Hannah is a film-maker trying to sell an autobiographical feature idea: what if there were two parents in the 80s the dad comes out as gay, but the couple remain happily together as platonic co-parents, and even when the father leaves the country, there is no conflict? We see her on Zoom calls, producers asking: Where the hell would be the drama in that?, juxtaposed against exactly that family history played out on the screen."
"And Jimpa the word sticks better once you know it's a compound of Jim and grandpa. At the airport, the teenager, Frances, who's trans, drops a bombshell: they want to move to the Netherlands and finish their schooling there. Hannah and her husband, Harry, respond thoughtfully, not freaking out. But once they arrive in Amsterdam, Jimpa, played by John Lithgow, brings enough drama for everyone."
"Jimpa, played by John Lithgow, brings enough drama for everyone something he's been doing for 40 years, since he left his family for a fuller queer life than Australia at the end of the 20th century could offer. The film revels in revealing the sort of lifestyle he enjoyed instead. Some scenes made me wish I'd been able to be calmer with my dad when he said something inflammatory."
"Hyde ponders the question. Can we ask our characters to respond with loving kindness, when usually our instinct is instant conflict? How do we lovingly disagree with each other? How do we not repress ourselves and yet not fight with each other? I think it's a very pertinent question right"
Hannah leaves Adelaide with her husband and 16-year-old child to visit her father in Amsterdam. The teenager, Frances, reveals they want to move to the Netherlands and complete schooling there. Hannah and her husband respond thoughtfully rather than with panic. Jimpa, played by John Lithgow, brings long-running drama shaped by decades of queer life after leaving his family for a fuller identity. Hannah tries to sell an autobiographical film idea about two parents in the 1980s: the father comes out as gay but the couple stays together as platonic co-parents, even after he leaves the country. The story contrasts producers’ doubts about where drama would come from with the family history shown on screen, emphasizing loving kindness and disagreement without fighting.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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