“A slow and vague, yet sincere and compelling study of a
bullied teen’s angst.”
A troubled and bullied teenager is the subject of Felix Thompson’s debut feature. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2015 Tribeca Film
Festival, King Jack is an arthouse study
of adolescents’ angst portrayed with keen propinquity and sensitivity.
The film opens with 15-year old Jack (Charlie Plummer) spray-painting a
profaned word on the garage door of his neighbor who turns out to be the school
bully Shane (Danny Flaherty). That action transforms Jack’s summer weekend into a
life-defining ruckus as Shane, along with his brutish cohorts, avenges by
similarly defacing him. Conditions at home are also not helping Jack. His
mother Karen (Erin Davie) is always out of reach trying to make ends meet to
notice his plight, while his older brother Tom (Christian Madsen) is mostly
abusive towards him.
Later, his 12-year old podgy cousin Ben (Cory Nichols)
arrives and tentatively stays in their home as the boy’s mother recovers from a
mental breakdown. Jack is initially exasperated but the cousins soon bond after
an encounter with Shane’s gang. More fortunately, the duo gets to play a
titillating version of Truth and Dare with the kindly Harriet (Yainis Ynoa) who
happens to harbour a secret crush on Jack. However, Shane is not yet done and
Jack suffers a terrible run-in with him again in Robyn’s (Scarlet Lizbeth)
house party.
King Jack has an
all too familiar material – a teenager, raised in a broken home, becomes prey
to vicious bullies. Yet, director Thompson tells the story with compelling
honesty and stylistic understanding. The titular character has no sweet
innocence or angelic disposition. He is much like any modern-day teen, someone
vulnerable to sexual tendencies and personal curiosities of his youth, someone
intent on finding some sense of belongingness. He is into “sexting” and
exploring the powers of his manhood. He is into parties and games. Yet, Jack
remains an outcast of sorts with no friends, probably because of his own fears
and uncertainties. There are no pretentions in Thompson’s material and such
sincerity and clarity makes the film relatable to young audience while possibly
soliciting raised eyebrows from more adult viewers.
The movie is purely a character study and the exposition
revolves mainly around Jack and his growth. The ending is quite vague and
dispiriting as the issue of bullying is not satisfactorily addressed. But then
again, in a social circle where victims and predators take turns changing
seats, there are things left unsaid, out of shame and trepidation, which leave
lasting wounds and marks.
The young cast, with their energy and integrity, enlivens
the film. Plummer is an impressively bright lead with his likable charm and raw
emotions while Flaherty, with his flowing hair and murderous stare, perfectly
personifies the bully.
King Jack,
despite its sluggish build-up and hazy ending, is a moving, gripping, and
honest portrayal of a bullied youth. It is sleepy at some points but the
overwhelming understanding in the end makes it worth watching.
Production: Buffalo Picture House, Dominic
Buchanan Productions, Stink Films, Whitewater Films
Cast: Charlie Plummer, Cory Nichols,
Christian Madsen, Danny Flaherty, Erin Davie, Yainis Ynoa, Scarlet Lizbeth, Chloe Levine, Melvin Mogoli, Francis Piscopo, Elijah Richardson, Tony Divitto, Robert Nadig, Meeko Gattuso, Keith Leonard
Director/screenwriter: Felix Thompson
Producers: Gabrielle Nadig, Dominic
Buchanan
Executive producers: Rick Rosenthal, Bert
Kern, Nick Morton, Daniel Bergmann, Martin Forbes, Robert Herman
Director of photography: Brandon Roots
Production designer: Emmeline Wilks-Dupoise
Editor: Paul Penczner
Costume designer: Jami Villers
Composer: Bryan Senti
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