Review: Jonathan

An intriguing variation on the multiple personality narrative, Bill Oliver's feature film debut, Jonathan, involves brothers Jonathan and Jon, both played by Ansel Elgort. Both lead separate but very connected lives, as evidenced by the opening moments when Jonathan recounts the day's events in a video diary for his brother. Jon does the same in turn, enabling Jonathan to catch up on his brother's nightly activities.

Viewers soon glean the reason behind this strange but necessary arrangement. Jonathan and Jon are not separate people, but rather two different people inhabiting the same body via single-body, multi-consciousness. Their lives are regulated by a timer, which is supervised by their doctor Mina Nariman (Patricia Clarkson), who also serves as their therapist/mother figure. The relaxed and unkempt Jon has the night shift, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., whilst the more proper and polished Jonathan is conscious from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The latter also follows the rules, which he believes are vital to their existence and those rules include no emotional attachments.

Jonathan begins to suspect that Jon has been bending those rules and, indeed, Jon has been seeing a barmaid named Elena (Suki Waterhouse), who is perplexed at her boyfriend's distant demeanour when Jonathan confronts her on the street. The brothers' conflict over Elena soon manifests into something more complex and slightly sinister. Jonathan develops his own emotional attachment to Elena and Jon not only becomes incommunicado, refusing to leave video messages, but also appears to be angling to be the more dominant personality.

Oliver and co-screenwriters Peter Nickowitz and Gregory Davis craft an often compelling character study with touches of sci-fi and horror. This focuses more on the dread of both losing control over one's body and being trapped within it. The blackout technique that Oliver employs to delineate the shifting consciousness of the two brothers becomes both chilling and poignant in the film's final stretch as Jon struggles to break through Jonathan's consciousness and Jonathan attempts to keep him at bay.

Free of gimmicks, the film relies on Elgort to clearly define Jonathan and Jon and the young actor rises to the challenge, delivering an excellent dual performance that proves he has the ability to take on more complex material.

Jonathan

Directed by: Bill Oliver

Written by: Bill Oliver, Peter Nickowitz, Gregory Davis

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Patricia Clarkson, Suki Waterhouse, Matt Bomer, Douglas Hodge, Souleymane Sy Savane, Shunori Ramanathan