Synopsis
Meeting by chance when they return to their tiny California hometown, two former high-school sweethearts reflect on their shared past.
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Cast
- Mark DuplassJim
- Sarah PaulsonAmanda
- Clu GulagerWaynie
- James AndrewsBackground
- Harris BenburyBackground
- Daniel BrooksBackground
- Mary BrooksBackground
- Bill GreerBackground
- Cindy GreerBackground
- Ana IovineBackground
Recommendations
- 83
IndieWire
Blue Jay doesn’t lean on destiny or succumb to the easy refrain that time is a great equalizer. There’s genuine happiness here, but heartbreak is always right behind it. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The script is loose; the acting is natural and nuanced. Over the credits plays an acoustic song about lives in the how-did-we-get-here stage. If you do not leave this Netflix movie asking questions about your own paths, the failing is yours, not Duplass’s. - 75
Slant Magazine
Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson have extraordinary chemistry, painting a cumulative portrait of the fragility and rareness of being truly in sync with a partner. - 75
The A.V. Club
Duplass and Paulson counteract the deliberately banal dialogue (Duplass also wrote the screenplay) with superbly anxious body language; Jim and Amanda’s “casual,” “amiable” chitchat is so painfully forced that it’s a wonder nothing ruptures. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Luckily, Blue Jay boasts a handful of fresh, piercingly poignant scenes that cut through the cloud of déjà vu. It also has a not-so-secret weapon in the formidable Paulson, who deserves much of the credit for whatever emotional punch the film delivers. - 70
Village Voice
Lehmann shot Blue Jay in a gorgeous black-and-white that looks like silver gelatin prints (a photographic process that captures boundless gradations of gray), which complements the story's heartfelt simplicity. - 67
The Film Stage
The story is a simple one, and sometimes it might feel a little too slight for it own good, but Paulson carries it all the way through with bravado acting. - 67
The Playlist
Lehmann’s real imprint isn’t found in the visuals, but in the performances evoked from both Duplass and Paulson. While the former may have the showstopper moments, it’s the latter who stands out.
