C’MON, C’MON

US, 2021, 110 minutes, Black-and-white.

Joaquin Phoenix, Woody Norman, Gaby Hoffman, Scoot McNairy, Molly Webster.

Directed by Mike Mills.

A commentator has pointed out that there are a number of films showing the powerful relationship between an adult and a child, citing Charlie Chaplin and The Kid, the Czech film, Kolya, winner of the Oscar for Best Language Foreign Film. C’mon, C’mon has been acclaimed, already, with 12 wins and 49 nominations.

Joaquin Phoenix is Johnny, uncle Johnny, the adult. British-born Woody Norman is Jesse, the kid. Gaby Hoffman, who entered into film and television while a child, gives a strong performance as Viv, Jesse’s mother.

First of all, a comment about Joaquin Phoenix. In recent years his casting has been as diverse as his Oscar-winning Joker and his appearance as Jesus in the film, Mary Magdalene. And, looking back at his diverse career, who would have thought that at this stage of his life he would portray such a humane, generally agreeable, even smiling, adult? He seems to be really enjoying being cast in this role and in his performance.

The basic plot outline is very simple – and some audiences have tended to dismiss it as slight, that could have been got over in 30 minutes, it is over-padded. Johnny and his team cross the US interviewing youngsters, asking questions about their understanding of life, hopes, the US. He has previously clashed with his sister, Viv (flashbacks to their coping with their terminally ill mother in care). Viv’s husband is a musician but prone to strong bouts of depression. And their son Jesse is nine. When Viv has to spend face-to face time with her husband, she asks her brother to look after Jesse. He agrees. Seems rather pleased with the request.

To say the least, Jesse is a handful. At nine, he has had a difficult life, devoted to his father, upset at his father’s illness and absence, relying on his mother and her constant attention. He is intelligent. He can also be quite manipulative. Johnny at one stage wonders whether he is spoilt. In fact, he is, but this highlights his neediness. He has his moods, he has his mood swings. And he likes to imagine himself in alternate stories, as an orphan, getting Johnny and his mother to join in his dialogue and role-plays.

Of course, we see the repercussions for Johnny, asking questions all over the US but reluctant to answer questions about himself and his life, at one stage Viv talking to him on the phone, all getting him to open up about his partner is leaving him, the relationship between brother and sister and the treatment of their mother. He quietly admits a little.

Jesse on the other hand is very selective in his replies, able to ward off what he considers intrusions, making demands of his uncle, throwing back at him his uncle’s comment about a lot of responses being simply blah blah. Jesse is happy to go with his uncle back to New York and accompany him on the interviews, even getting the microphone to record sounds all about the city. But, the deep neediness leads to tantrums, momentarily running away from his uncle intense on the phone, arguments, sullenness, reconciliations.

Johnny has to go to New Orleans for his job, Jesse being particularly obstreperous and hindering, eventually going with him to New Orleans, opening up, confiding in his uncle, trusting him, and happy reuniting with his mother. At the end of the film, his uncle does a recapitulation on tape of what they shared so that when Jesse starts to forget the details, there will be a literal record.

Mike Mills has made idiosyncratic films, Thumbsucker, Beginners (for which Christopher Plummer won his Oscar), 20^th Century Women. This film is in black-and-white, striking vistas of Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans. It is also a strongly worded-packed film, a long range of interviews, a great number of responses, and quotations from books read to Jesse, from the Wizard of Oz and other children’s books and a great deal of verbal wisdom.

1. The title, the tone, the later explanation, keeping going…?
2. The American city settings, the views of Detroit, the views of the LA, of New York, of New Orleans? The film immersing its audience in the cities and their life?
3. The black-and-white photography, style, black-and-white and light? The musical score?
4. The device of Johnny and his crew travelling around America, the interviews with the young Americans, their views on life, current issues, hopes? The cumulative effect on the audience of hearing this range of views on the United States, the present, hopes for the future?
5. Johnny’s story, asking people questions, reluctant to answer questions? His age, travelling alone, the past relationship and his being left? Reluctant to speak? The flashbacks to his mother, her illness, using hands to communicate, his sister, their clash? His nephew?
6. Viv, the situation, her musician husband, his mental condition, flashbacks to the past, seeing him with his son, happy times, but his collapse, having to go into care, Viv needing to be with him, to support him?
7. The phone call to Johnny, asking him to look after Jesse? His agreeing? In Los Angeles, the decision to go to New York, Jesse accompanying him, the job in New Orleans, ready to go to the airport, Jesse’s tantrum, eventually going with him?
8. Jesse, age 9, love for his mother, her telling stories, reading stories, the role-plays for stories, his being an orphan and identifying, the drama? His missing his father? The effect of his absence? Jesse’s personality, lively, imaginative? But sport in many ways? Manipulative? Staging tantrums? Influenced by the adults, aping their style?
9. Johnny and Jesse, the bond between them, company, storytelling, sharing the details of life, Jesse going to the interviews, having the microphones, recording the sounds? The phone calls to his mother? Johnny and the telling stories, the role-plays? The ups and downs, Jesse wanting attention, Johnny on the phone on the street, Jesse disappearing, Johnny searching for him, the episode and the explanation?
10. The effect on Johnny, being a father figure, enjoying it, finding it stressing? His continued conversations with a view, an outlet for his feelings and coping?
11. The issue of New Orleans, Johnny going to the airport, the camp, Jesse and his tantrum, wanting to go to the toilet, the setup?
12. Jesse and Johnny in New Orleans, a greater peace, the range of people, with the interview crew and their care, the young man taking care of Jesse?
13. His mother’s arrival? Happy together?
14. Johnny, his decision to record the memories of these episodes with Jesse so that when he grew older and began to forget, there would be the record?
15. An effective story of an adult and relationship with the child? Difficulties? Hopes?