Blue Jay (2016)

After watching and really enjoying Paddleton, I decided to check out more from the Duplass brothers and Alex Lehmann. That's when I stumbled upon Blue Jay and, since it sounded interesting and the cast appealed me, I checked it out (more than a month later because I'm terrible at this). 

The film follows Jim (Mark Duplass) and Amanda (Sarah Paulson), two high school sweethearts who meet by chance for the first time in years when they both go back to their California hometown. They seem very awkward at first as they don't have much to say to each other, but once they get to talking, and decide to spend some time at Jim's old house, they fall back into the past as if nothing has changed between them.

The story is very simple, so simple there's barely a story and the chances of it being dull were pretty high. Fortunately, Blue Jay immediately generates our interest as it's clear from the beginning that Jim and Amanda share a troubled past, and keep us engaged for its entire running time as we wait for the secret to be unveiled. In addition, it shies away from the predictable, clichéd romantic territory I was expecting it to fall into, as it turns out to be a very realistic, everyday kind of drama.

It's the actors though that get the job done. First of all, Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson have such strong, beautiful, magic chemistry that makes the relationship between Jim and Amanda incredibly genuine. Second, they both give great performances —Duplass he plays the role of Jim, a sensitive, normal guy, in such a natural way, Paulson plays the role of Amanda, a woman who is almost impossible to read, with so much tenderenss— and they both capture the playfulness and vulnerability of two people who used to mean the world for each other. And they are wonderful at improvising —Duplass is credited as the screenwriter but there wasn't an actual script, only a draft and he and Paulson did the rest.

The Orchard, Netflix

At last but not least there's Alex Lehmann's cinematography. It is simple and yet beautifully breathtaking, the black and white wonderfully conveys an atmosphere of nostalgia that complements incredibly well Jim and Amanda's past and present, each frame is perfect and shot in a way that it almost feels claustrophobic, as if you were stuck in the film with the characters, and enhances that feeling of intimacy that the actors bring to the screen.

Paddleton (2019)

When I first saw Paddleton on my Netflix homepage, I thought, oh god, another Netflix original that will probably suck, and I skipped it. Days later, I was wandering on IMDb and I stumbled upon it, the rating was pretty good —7.2— so I checked it out. 

The film follows Andy (Ray Romano) and his neighbour and friend Michael (Mark Duplass) who, in the opening scene, learns that he has terminal cancer. Forced to weigh his options and not wanting to let the illness take him, Michael opts for prescribed suicide and asks Andy to help him to it.

As you have probably guessed, Paddleton isn't a plot-heavy film as there isn't anything else other than the short synopsis above. That said, the story is such a beautiful one, one of the most touching of the year so far as it's a poignant story of a friendship between two lonely men, a simple story that gets to you as it slowly unfolds and makes you feel like you're part of it, like you're going through the same journey as the characters.

Which brings me to the best part of Paddleton, the characters. Andy and Michael are two kind of quirky, awkward people presented as two ordinary men because that's what they are. There's nothing extraordinary about them, nothing that makes them worthy of being main characters, some people would say as they aren't particularly interesting —actuall, they are pretty insignificant. It's their simplicity, their normality that makes them real, believable and makes you care about them as much as they care for each other.

Mark Duplass and director Alex Lehmann sure did a great job writing the script, but the film wouldn't be the same if the actors didn't do such a good job. Mark Duplass is great as Michael with a calm, never over-the-top performance. Ray Romano is the standout though as he's able to deliver humour and plenty of emotions —and seeing him sad is one of the saddest things ever. And the chemistry between them is excellent.

Netflix

If you are one of those people who skipped this afraid of it being another bland Netflix original, please give it a shot and you won't regret it as Paddleton is a bittersweet, emotional, poignant film with natural dialogue —most of it is improvised—, natural performances and a good balance of awkwardness, humour and seriousness. A beautiful, touching and honest portrayal of friendship.