**A Fresh Take on Family and Queer Identity Falls Short in *Jimpa***

Directed and co-written by Sophie Hyde (*Good Luck to You, Leo Grande*), *Jimpa* is an intricate narrative of desire that ultimately falters under the burden of its own aspirations. The film chronicles the journey of Australian filmmaker Hannah (Olivia Colman) and her nonbinary adolescent Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) as they make their way to Amsterdam to visit Hannah’s quirky gay father, Jim (John Lithgow). While Hannah endeavors to create a film that romanticizes her family’s history, the trip evolves into a voyage of self-exploration and intergenerational bonding.

On one front, *Jimpa* serves as a semi-autobiographical piece for Hyde, whose own child, Mason-Hyde, makes their acting debut in a narrative loosely based on Hyde’s family background. The film delves into discussions that Hyde never had with her late father, thus introducing a touching meta-textual element. Nonetheless, this intimate connection is diluted by a broader, overarching theme: the film’s desire to portray a utopian representation of queer acceptance. While this ambition is commendable, it flattens the characters into mere vehicles for ideals, leaving their emotional resonance and pasts insufficiently explored.

The outcome is a film that treats queerness as a superficial layer rather than a lived reality. Despite being well-intentioned and grounded in an authentic personal story, *Jimpa* wrestles with authenticity, presenting viewers with a languorous narrative that gestures toward drama without fully engaging with it.

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### What Is *Jimpa* About?

The narrative focuses on Jim, affectionately referred to as “Jimpa” by his grandchild Frances. Years ago, Jim departed from his wife and daughters in Adelaide, Australia, to embrace life openly as a gay man in Amsterdam. Hannah, then 13, remembers her parents’ separation as cordial and supportive. Jim became an advocate for gay rights, pursuing freedom within a burgeoning queer community whilst facing the challenges of the AIDS epidemic.

Now in his advanced years, Jim is recuperating from a stroke, prompting Hannah to bring Frances to Amsterdam to deepen their connection with their grandfather. Sixteen-year-old Frances, self-assured in their nonbinary identity, has privately resolved to remain in Amsterdam with Jim instead of returning to Adelaide for their upcoming school term. This decision creates a possible dramatic storyline as Frances navigates their identity and sexuality under Jim’s mentorship. However, the film’s reluctance to engage with conflict weakens this narrative strand.

Throughout the movie, Hannah pitches a conflict-free drama about her father to producers and actors via Zoom, mirroring her idealized perception of the past. While *Jimpa* is not completely without conflict, it reflects Hannah’s tendency to shy away from confrontation. Conflicts are swiftly resolved, and emotional dilemmas—such as Frances’ choice to stay in Amsterdam or Jim’s deteriorating health—are addressed with neat resolutions.

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### A Talented Cast Limited by Superficial Material

Despite its narrative flaws, *Jimpa* features a remarkable cast. Olivia Colman and John Lithgow infuse warmth and cleverness into their performances, fostering a sense of shared history that the script and visuals neglect to fully express. Colman’s nuanced portrayal uncovers hidden vulnerabilities, while Lithgow’s interpretation of Jim balances humor and sensitivity, even though the character’s intricacies remain largely unexplored.

Aud Mason-Hyde offers a varied performance as Frances, shining in moments of youthful curiosity while struggling in more emotionally charged scenarios. Their exchanges with one of Jim’s bisexual students (Zoë Love Smith) suggest deeper layers of sexual exploration, but the film avoids fully capturing the emotional repercussions. Instead, it leans on characters articulating their feelings rather than depicting them processing these experiences in real-time.

The standout performance emerges from Australian actress Kate Box, who plays Hannah’s sister Emily. Though she appears in merely a handful of scenes, Emily’s abrasive nature provides a refreshing deviation from the otherwise harmonious characters in the film. Her unresolved tension and frustration come across as genuine in a way that the interactions of the remaining cast often do not.

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### A Sanitized Take on Queer History

Jim functions both as a caring grandfather and a queer elder, imparting knowledge and history to Frances, who lacks a robust queer community back in Australia. While this intergenerational relationship holds promise, the film reduces these dialogues to buzzwords and superficial discussions. Conversations surrounding gender and sexuality as spectrums, for instance, feel more like rehearsed social media dialogues rather than meaningful inquiries into identity.

Similarly, the film’s representation of queer history is superficial. Jim’s gay friends, both middle-aged and elderly—played by Else De Lanooi, Hans Kesting, and Frank Sanders—infuse energy and a sense of lived experience into their scenes. However, their narratives are communicated through brief flashbacks and dialogue, lacking substantial emotional heft. Moments such as discussing AIDS