About Joan

A good film transports us to a place, feeling or event however realistic, magical or fictional without straining the viewers into liking it immediately.

And here is a good full-feature film worth my one hour and thirty minutes. I miss good films and this one is like reading a novel with its personality sketch, engaging visuals and storytelling, and one good unexpected ending coming in when every aspect of the story is ripe for the ending. 

 

There are some very French reference like the "raunchy painting" which I could not immediately place why it made its way to the film. Maybe, it refers to a woman's inner desire, not necessarily carnal? But then, that is not the point of the film. The film is about coping one's loss. The film is about facing loss alone, being brave. But isn't that an innermost feeling of a woman too?

 

And why Tim has to be weird? hahahhaha. Maybe only his personality can put up with the sadness inside the serious, highly organized, perhaps control-freak Joan whose very name sounds masculine? The actress played the role well.

 

The allusion about how we "remember" in the end is also interesting. I recommend this one! Photo above is from the festival website, and the two photos below are screenshots from the film.

Joan as a young woman discovering how exciting the world is with Doug.

Joan with his grown-up son Nathan.