‘Jimmy’ Review: Woozily Seductive Mood Piece Wanders Europe in Pursuit of James Baldwin’s Spirit
"Jimmy" is a review of a new hybrid film directed by photographer Yashaddai Owens, which explores the spirit of writer James Baldwin without functioning as a conventional biopic or documentary. Critic Guy Lodge finds the 68-minute feature an oblique but effective work, noting that despite its unconventional, largely wordless structure, it feels genuinely in touch with its subject in a way more traditional dramatisations might not.
The film follows a version of Baldwin, played by Benny O. Arthur, through Turkey and France, shot in monochrome on a Bolex 16mm camera without disguising its present-day settings. For its opening ten minutes, Baldwin remains an unseen presence as the camera adopts his point of view through the streets of Istanbul, accompanied by a jazz score from Paco Andreo, before he becomes a physical presence once the story shifts to Paris. Having premiered at Telluride nearly two years earlier, the film is only now receiving a US release via Strand Releasing.
In short
- "Jimmy" is an oblique, largely wordless film evoking James Baldwin's spirit.
- Director Yashaddai Owens shot it in monochrome 16mm across Turkey and France.
- The 68-minute film finally gets US release, two years after Telluride premiere.
Explained simply
James Baldwin was an American writer whose essays, novels and public appearances explored race, sexuality and life in the United States. He spent much of his later life in France, and his work continues to shape how readers and artists discuss identity and belonging.
Films about real writers often use interviews, archival footage or actors recreating events from their lives. A hybrid film can mix fiction and documentary-like elements, while a mood piece may rely more on images, sound and atmosphere than on a conventional plot.
Yashaddai Owens’s film evokes Baldwin through a present-day journey in Istanbul and Paris, rather than tracing his life story. Its approach raises a broader question about how art can connect with a person’s ideas and presence without directly documenting them.
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