The death of a loved one is one of the hardest events in life to deal with, which we all at some point have or will undeniably have to experience. Every person handles death in a different way, but the tragedy can put us in an emotional and fragile mental state, which is the main focal point of writer/director Josh Mond’s film “James White.”
Following the formula for a down and out situational drama, “James White” is a solid film that captures the human aspect of life and emotions to have viewers hoping that after everything if James can ever make it from being down and out.
James, the main character played by Christopher Abbott, is immediately introduced to viewers while he is at a tragic point in his life as his father has just passed away. There is no slow build up to what the movie is about, in less than ten minutes, you are given everything you need to understand what you are about to sit through. To get the point across that James’ life is about to spiral down an estranged path, the movie opens to James at a club partying, drinking and using recreational drugs. In the next sequence of scenes, it is shown that this is all taking place the day of his father’s wake, as he leaves the club to attend the gathering of loved ones at his mother’s apartment. To add to James having to deal with his father’s death, it is also brought to light that his mother is battling cancer.
“James White” is an intense emotional ride hitting the protagonist with problem after problem. After each issue you hope things get better, and for the moment they actually do, but just for them to get much worse. The movie is segmented into months, giving the idea of how long James is going through each event over an extended amount of time. The style will cause viewers to feel the characters more in depth as well as connect their own personal lengthy hard experiences in life.
The relationships between James, his best friend Nick, played by Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and his mother Gail, played by Cynthia Nixon, are immediately developed. James has lived with Gail throughout her battle with cancer to help take care of her. It is shown that she is everything to James and has been priority number one in his life since his father divorced her many years earlier and started a new family. Nick flys in from out town once he hears the news of the passing of James’ father and you’ll be able to gather that Nick is more like a brother to James and a second son to Gail. Gail is grateful for Nick’s support and explains that Nick being back in town is not only great for her emotionally, but what’s best for James.
Abbott and Mescudi really mesh well in their scenes together and do a great job translating the relationship of James and Nick from script to screen. It is portrayed that ever so often when things get too tough for James to handle, he looks for a moment to get away, as shown in the opening scene. With Nick now in town, James often throughout the film jumps at the chance to get out of the house or at one point leaving the country with Nick heading to Mexico, to escape his situation. James constantly uses drugs and alcohol to try to mend his own pain, but Nick is always there to keep him from going too far and destroying himself. Even though he puts his mother’s well-being before his own, James still craves to get away from the harsh reality that any day his mother’s condition can get far worse.
“James White” is an in-depth emotional film that shows how dealing with too many unfortunate events can lead someone down a path of self-destruction. However, the ending was flat and could have some viewer’s find it unfinished because the movie built up so much hope for a proper ending. For a movie that will not have a sequel since it isn’t warranted, the film will leave some pondering too deep into how it should have ended, almost like the ending of the hit TV series “The Sopranos.” All in all because of the great on-screen chemistry and intense emotionally driven dialogue between Abbott, Mescudi and Nixon it is enough to make you ignore the ending and appreciate the depicted message.
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