Jump, Darling at BFI Flare review - a small-scale film with a big heart Naomi May
Very rarely does a debut from a relatively unknown director and filmmaker manage to tug at the heartstrings as much as Jump, Darling.
Phil Connell’s family drama, which makes its international premiere at BFI Flare this month, is a simmering portrayal of the power of unconditional love. With the warmth of an embrace, it feels familiar, like a favourite film you’ve watched since childhood, while also feeling fresh and thought-provoking, like nothing you’ve seen before.
The story follows Russell (Thomas Duplessie), a gay man and drag queen living in Toronto, who is struggling with the no-man’s-land of his mid-twenties. His love for performing as Fishy Falters drives a wedge between him and his wealthy boyfriend Justin, and so Russell flees the relationship and the city to seek some clarity at the home of his grandmother Margaret (Cloris Leachman) in Prince Edward County.