TRIBECA 2018 REVIEWS: Bill Oliver's feature debut JONATHAN is a sci-fi mind game that scores and shows real promise for the new director's next projects

Bill Oliver ‘s JONATHAN — TRIBECA 2018 REVIEWS — is a sci-fi mind game that scores and shows real promise for the new director’s next projects

Bill Oliver’s first feature film Jonathan arrives into a sort of renaissance moment for sci-fi anthology tales. Employing near-future brain science tropes reminiscent in some ways of last year’s Get Out, fans of the British Netflix series Black Mirror will be able to jump right into this literal mind game of a movie.

The premise is revealed slowly, which at first may have audiences unsure of what is going on.

In fact, maybe the film waits a bit too long to let the cat out of the bag. If anything, the resulting dynamic is far more interesting than the “mystery” which lingers for the first act. So, if you want to avoid the spoiler that’s over in about the first 20 minutes, stop reading now.

For those, like myself, who find what happens next the real appeal of Jonathan, here’s the plot in a nutshell. The eponymous protagonist is sharing a body with his twin brother. For 12 hours a day, “Jonathan” gets to live his life, while for the following 12 hours of each day, “Jon” comes out to play. It’s a literal case of multiple personalities. There are two real and distinct consciousnesses inhabiting the same individual. A brain chip monitored by scientists maintains the separation of the two brothers, who strictly stick to a down-to-the-second schedule in being “awake.” And these guys really love each other. They are able to communicate only via videos they leave for themselves. They are very caring for one another, share their feelings, leave nice presents behind. But they are also very different. Jonathan is a straight-laced, by-the-rules milquetoast. Jon, by contrast, is a party guy who scores with the ladies on a regular basis. Ansel Algort does great double duty as both brothers, playing them off equally convincingly, aided by subtle but effective changes in wardrobe and hairstyles.
 

The conflict starts when Jon finds a girl that he’s not only sleeping with – but has started a relationship with. This is a strict no-no according to the scientists who control the brain chip, an offense which could end with Jon’s consciousness being wiped from existence in consequence.

Worse, Jon doesn’t confide with his brother about what he’s doing: Jonathan has to figure it out for himself. And things get weirder from there.

Suki Waterhouse plays Elena, the erstwhile girlfriend who is needless to say very confused by what’s going on. What makes the movie work is the very unexpected way that all parties involved react to the progress of events. Like some of the best episodes of the aforementioned Black Mirror, the story leans more heavily on the emotional explorations the sci-fi setup provides and not the reverse. The film isn’t perfect – it suffers from some pacing issues which suggests it might have been tighter as an hour-long TV entry.

And there are some subplots which were handled in perhaps too sterile a way. But as a first feature, it’s very strong.

Should Mr. Oliver stay in the genre, I predict he will only improve on this mostly satisfying freshman effort. Hoping to see more from him – and the actors – down the road.

Bill Oliver ‘s JONATHAN — TRIBECA 2018 REVIEWS — is a sci-fi mind game that scores and shows real promise for the new director’s next projects