JONNY COME LATELY Review

directed by FRANCESCA COPPOLA      19 minutes      USA

available on NoBudge.com

The recognition of a plastic-bucket-dwelling toy frog on a New York City sidewalk, mechanized swim strokes from repetitious limbs, face to face with Jonny (Deragh Campbell); perhaps, not their first time meeting, but possibly the first time in which the realization of the similarities of their existence have struck Jonny; going through the motions, headlong into the resistance of the barriers that restrict her ability to move freely, to obtain and enjoy personal freedom.

The toy frog restricted to the street-side bucket that Francesca Coppola uses as a visual metaphor in Jonny Come Lately might be a little bit too on-the-nose; as in, completely encapsulating the main character’s emotional plight in a matter of several seconds on-the-nose. The toy frog is not the only blunt visual metaphor to be employed within the short’s 19 minute run-time, daydreams of zoo visits present another opportunity to capture the essence of Jonny’s situation, candid footage of confined felines wandering about their enclosures wrapped around idyllic, what-could-be simulations of her current romantic relationship. 

The undercurrent of that romantic relationship percolates throughout the grainy 16mm frames, absence or reluctance of dialogue suggest a force of repression present, lighting and music also hinting towards untold emotional malaise. Deragh Campbell’s posture and movements speak a mixed language of downtrodden and longing, seemingly on the cusp of a timid revival with her significant other, Sam (Kentucker Audley), and on the verge of total collapse at the same time.

Campbell’s delicate performance perfectly captures and complements the delicate nature of the relationship central to Jonny Come Lately. Coppola is able to frame the fragility of the relationship within Campbell’s demeanor and body language, while subtly showcasing the origins of that fragility through Audley’s veiled aggressions filtered through reserved obstinacy. Coppola rightfully chooses a dressed-down screenplay as Campbell and Audley fill in the empty spaces ably, a lack of dialogue speaking towards their inability to communicate but also to the fear of lighting the fuse that will inevitably dismantle their relationship.