A Kid Like Jake, screening as part of this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival, is a unique take on family life which is bound to get that salty dew flowing in the corners of your peepers.
The heartbreaking challenges of being a parent and the constraints of gender norms are on display with an innocent four-year-old at the centre of the narrative.
This comedy-drama from director Silas Howard, based on Daniel Pearle’s play of the same name, follows Alex and Greg, two parents in the throws of deciding the educational course of their only child, Jake.
But when Jake, who has a fondness for fairytales and dressing up as Disney princesses, begins acting out at school, they suddenly find themselves at odds over how to sensitively handle the situation, including being forced to decide whether or not it’s ok to ‘exploit’ their child’s uniqueness in a bid to gain entry to a private school.
A Kid Like Jake is Howard’s feature film debut, but Howard is best known for “queer-forward” television program Transparent – and you can expect some of that show’s intensity, sadness and bursts of humour here.
Attempting to bring a play about two parents’ difficulties in grasping how to react to their child’s gender identity into the mainstream is a bold move from a narrative perspective but Howard walks the delicate tightrope to remain engaging while avoiding being preachy or patronising.
Howard’s manages to steer clear of sensationalising the subject matter while ensuring authenticity in the exploration of gender identity and society’s reactions to it.
In fact, the movie tends to focus more on the parenting aspect than directly on the child’s daily life, missing a chance to explore the many mistruths about gender norms – although when you’re being guided by a play, you can’t really venture too far off script.
Howard’s own website bills him as an award-winning director and writer, with a “longtime focus in telling honest, boundary-shattering narratives filled with groundbreaking characters”.
Honest, yes, but this one wasn’t exactly boundary shattering.
A kid like Jake. Photo: MIFF
A kid like Jake. Photo: MIFF
Who’s in it?
Two very familiar faces helm the wheel, with Claire Danes (Homeland) and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), ensuring the ship remains on course as Alex and Greg.
Despite their best efforts, the film is a slow burn, taking them a significant amount of time to get to the crux of the matter, before finishing with a fairly rosy almost cheesy finale.
Danes is right at home as the matriarchal powerhouse desperate to do the right thing but constantly feeling at fault, while Parsons mostly overcomes his usual rigidity to capture your attention as the ‘doing-his-best’ dad.
Those who only know Parsons from The Big Bang Theory should be reminded this is not his first dramatic role, but it’s nice to see a bit of juxtaposition against his uber famous Sheldon Cooper character – especially when he let’s loose a little – it is just a little though.
Don’t worry he won’t get far on foot: MIFF review
Juliet, Naked: MIFF review
The Miseducation of Cameron Post: MIFF review
Capharnaüm: MIFF review
He still occasionally wallows about in that familiar robotic/quirky atmosphere, although to be fair, the character does call for it at times here.
Of course, we have to mention young Leo James Davis who plays Jake. Through no fault of his own, Jake’s lack of involvement in the film feels like it hinder’s the narrative progression – something which we came to understand further once we discovered Jake doesn’t actually appear on stage in the play-version.
Instead, we predominantly see Jake through the eyes of others, not really allowing us to form our own opinion and therefore, second guessing ourselves about what is right and wrong – the same way Jakes’ parents do.
There is also a considerable supporting cast, including Octavia Spencer, Ann Dowd, Priyanka Chopra and Amy Landecker, who hold their own.
You’ll like this if you like
As mentioned above, there are a few similarities between A kid like Jake and Howard’s taboo busting Transparent but it’s tough to compare this film to others, mostly because it runs at a deeper level than a lot of ‘parenting’ movies.
And while it wasn’t an earth-shattering film, it’s audacious attempt to bring further diversity to the mainstream landscape is very welcome.
