Written and directed by Julian Sibal, a parking attendant struggles to realize his dream of being a writer. Starring: Andi Rexha, Ethan Herisse, Emily Arrington, Lisa Briddick, Hannah Rae Briddick and Tyler Courtad.
You’d struggle to find a person who can’t relate to Jake’s (Andi Rexha) story, in these days of high hopes and miniscule margins for success. Technology and accessibility to information gives us this gift of knowledge but also makes it hard to face endless mundanity, there’s no longer a possibility of blissful ignorance. Those feelings are then intensified if you’re alone or isolated, and that experience is exactly what Jake, the Failure encapsulates.
By choosing that topic, Julian Sibal also brings into the fold the importance of talking about mental health, particularly for men. It’s very slowly becoming more common for men to seek help but there’s still a lot of room for progress, so it’s an important theme to explore. One of the key aspects that Jake, the Failure touches upon is how impactful a small gesture can be, to provide someone with that opening to admit they need help, or even just to make a connection with another person.
That thoughtfulness is something that’s also demonstrated by Sibal’s directorial style. Firstly, it embraces that filmmaker, screenwriter feel, it merges itself with the atmosphere. The tone of disillusionment and depression is extremely present but never too heavy or finite, it leaves room for other emotions and a glimmer of hope. The cinematography captures a great palette, the tones of colour are very well done, a factor that can go unnoticed except for when it’s done excellently. Bringing through the home video styled scenes was another solid choice, they have a nicely romantic and nostalgic tone to add into the mix, which helps with the weight of its melancholy.
Another aspect that works so smoothly that you never give it a second thought is the performance from Andi Rexha, both physically and through his narration. A good way to describe the quality of Rexha’s portrayal of these poignant emotions is that both aspects of the performance could work on their own. He embodies that struggle so well and gives Jake this rounded persona, even without the narration. Then the narration opens up that persona and gives an intimate perspective. Narration is something that can be heavy-handed, overused and overestimated, so it’s always great to see someone do it so very well, as Rexha does here.
Jake, the Failure is an eloquent and affecting portrayal of mental health. It’s a topic that could touch almost every viewer, anyone who’s ever struggled to keep forging ahead in the face of repeated rejection. It never overplays its hand, it’s everyday and relatable but the directorial style elevates that with a strong clarity and thoughtfully constructed visual. Andi Rexha gives an excellent, moving leading performance and Ethan Herisse also needs to be mentioned, as though his appearance is brief, it’s filled with compassion.
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