Written and Directed by Zoé Wittock 
Starring Noémie Merlant, Emmanuelle Bercot and Bastien Bouillon 
Running Time 1 hour and 33 minutes

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport 

“Inanimate objects do have a soul.”

Have you ever been in love? Like over the moon, skipping down the street, yelling from the rooftops, can’t stop thinking about the person non-stop kinda love? 

Love is a wild feeling. It is not something that can be taught; it has to be experienced to be truly felt. The existence of love is one that grows over time and each of us learn in our own way what that feels like and the types of love that are associated with the various human beings in our lives. There are mistakes made along the way but, through each experience, one gains a better understanding of what this emotion truly is to them. Love is an individualistic feeling that takes on a different meaning to each and every one of us. What’s baffling, though, is that since the dawn of time segments of society have taken it upon themselves to dictate what type of love is “right” or “wrong”. 

In Zoe Wittock’s feature debut Jumbo, she explores the idea that there is no wrong way to love. The story centers on Jeanne (Noémie Merlant - most notably from Portrait of a Lady on Fire), a shy, demure, awkward twenty-something that lives at home with her mother and works at an amusement park as a night time custodian. Jeanne’s free time is spent tinkering and experimenting in her bedroom turned self-made laboratory of sorts where she creates models of many of the rides from the park out of random junk. She keeps to herself and her creations. Jeanne does not seek human interaction, instead she finds happiness in the inanimate objects she has surrounded herself with. 

Upon the start of the season at the park she makes two new acquaintances. One being her boss, Marc who immediately is intrigued by her quirkiness and unconventional behavior. The second friend is a newly installed ride, “Move It”. She instantaneously becomes infatuated with the dazzling sparkle and twinkle of the colorful attraction. Upon contemplation, and what could be considered quite possibly their first date, Jeanne decides the name “Move It” doesn’t quite suit her new mate. So she renames it Jumbo. The machine design and construction itself reminded me somewhat of a spaceship. The center of the ride had a circular disc shape adorned with glistening fluorescent light bulbs, reminiscent of a flying saucer. This description seems quite fitting as it seemed to arrive in Jeanne’s life on a mission to abduct her and transport her to a place of euphoria. I adored the woodland backdrop setting of the park. The forestry, especially under the nighttime stars gave off a magical atmosphere, like one within a fairy tale.  It reminded me of this old timey park that I have frequented since my teenage years, Knoebels. 

For some, this premise may seem a bit outlandish - a woman literally falling head over heels for an amusement park ride. However, one needs to see beyond the synopsis as peculiar. This film is more than just a woman experiencing pleasure from a machine. Jumbo tells the story of what it means to love and often the hatred inflicted on those that choose to do so in their own way. The lack of understanding is a pivotal piece to the story and is a cause of strain within the relationship of Jeanne and her sociable and outgoing mother, Margarette (Emmanuelle Bercot). Jeanne’s mother does not find Jeanne’s love to be real and questions her daughter’s feelings towards Jumbo. A scene where Jeanne fires back at her mother, “If it’s not love, what is it?” really stuck with me. It made me ponder how someone else feels they are able to define what love is to someone else. I found myself wanting to inquire of Margarette, “If she is happy and it is not hurting anyone, why care who your daughter loves?” 

This is a realistic situation presented about an actual form of sexuality that does indeed exist. Object sexuality, or any sexuality outside the “norm” can cause much suffering to those that are identified by others as different. It can often make them try to conform to devastating consequences. This scenario is explored between Jeanne and her boss, Marc. The act of being afraid of something or someone that is different is really just a construct of close mindedness, as a person fears what they don’t understand. In the end, it was beautiful to see her mother take the path to acceptance, reminding Jeanne not to forget her lipstick for the big day, as it has to be perfect. 

Release date for this film is unknown at this time, check back soon!