HThis is a fascinating French movie in which Noémie Merlant (Noémie Merlant) is overwhelmed by the feeling of forbidden love… No, it is not Portrait of a lady on fire. Jumbo’s weird premise—a young woman who falls madly in love with an amusement park—may be confusing, but Zoé Wittock’s unique comedy is sensually overloaded and sincerely sympathetic Interesting fusion.
At the beginning of the film, the shy Jenny (Merante) wakes up from her dream journey of neon lights. She witnesses a gorgeous vortex full of ever-changing colors. Her bedroom reflects this charm with bright lights and circular motion. Jenny’s hobby is to make model carousels with shiny metal wires. She works in a theme park, where her permanent bedside hair and awkward demeanor mark her as an outsider. As she retreated to her world, a new member in the park opened her cocoon. This huge machine, affectionately nicknamed Jumbo by Jenny, is like an octopus, with glowing arms, spinning in a charming whirlpool.
Jeanne’s dazzling fascination with Jumbo is intensified during her dizzy journey. The film is still ambiguous as to whether Jumbo is perceptual: the abstract sequence of black oil slowly covering Jenny’s body feels like her imaginary interpretation of women and robotic sex, but the next scene is where the character washes out the real grease from her. These sequences let us see the heart of Jenny, her mind is full of attention to her domineering mother and passionate manager.
Finally, this unusual love story may be closer to the weirdness of “Portrait of a Burning Lady” than one might think. Jumbo is centered on non-heterosexual attraction and tenderly pleads for acceptance and understanding.
