Jules, 2023.
Directed by Marc Turtletaub.
Starring Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Jane Curtin, Jade Quon, Zoë Winters, Donald Paul, Anna George, Lee Sellars, Teddy Cañez, Eric T. Miller, Cody Kostro, Jeff Kim, Christopher Kelly, Laura Jordan, Blair Baker, Aubie Merrylees, and Joshua Moore.
SYNOPSIS:
Milton lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Jules wouldn’t exist.
With Jules, director Marc Turtletaub has put a spin on alien visitor narratives to, ironically, focus on something more human. The film stars Ben Kingsley as Milton Robinson, an elderly man in the first stages of what appears to be an inevitable dementia diagnosis. His daughter Denise (Zoë Winters) occasionally visits him when not working and has noticed some alarming details, such as objects being left in rooms with no logical reason to bring them there in the first place (for example, there is a can of beans in the bathroom.)
This is, of course, sad, but doubly so considering Milton appears to be a genuinely sweet and gentle man despite having some regrets as a father (his other daughter has already tragically passed away, while his son took a job in California 10 years ago and wants nothing to do with him.) His days mostly repeat the same cycle of visiting town hall, where his literalness causes him to suggest changing the town motto to “a place to refer to as home” and not “a place to call home,” which he says might mislead people into thinking they can make a physical call using a telephone.
Milton is a lovable old goofball but unmistakably lonely (an outstanding turn from Ben Kingsley, knowing the appropriate amount of small-town, old-man quirkiness to give the character, also conveying sadness with nuance.) Suddenly, a UFO crash lands in his backyard one night, containing a hurt alien. As for this extraterrestrial, visually, it is a standard gray interpretation played by Jade Quon in a convincing suit (which may or may not be touched up with CGI), eventually receiving the titular name Jules.
Due to a relationship with Denise that is quickly becoming strained over his burgeoning senility, Milton is now lonelier than ever, rendering him quick to assist the alien in any way possible. He discovers that it loves to eat apples, gives it a detour around the house while explaining various rooms and household objects, and also begins to spread the news to the local police, dismissing him over the phone as a crazy old man.
One of Milton’s friends from the town hall meetings, Harriet Sansom Harris’ Sandy, inadvertently finds out about the alien, as there’s another one of their friends by way of suspicion and stalking what they are up to. There is an eased and comforted loneliness to these characters, but not without some amusing jokes and an oddball, dark sense of humor (I don’t think many people are prepared to discover what the alien requires cats for.)
None of this would work without the exceptional artistic design, emphasizing the understanding eyes of the alien and its patience. It has a willingness to learn and listen to them, which is something that these elderly characters need, but also a universal desire. Without saying a word, and just by being a charming, wholesome extraterrestrial, the presence of the alien encourages characters to confront certain realities about this stage of their lives.
The film doesn’t quite fully flesh out aspects of Milton’s past, and some issues between him and Denise feel cheaply and conveniently resolved. There is also a subplot involving government agents spying and searching for information on this crash landing, eventually bringing them to the small Pennsylvania town to locate the extraterrestrial, which doesn’t necessarily add much to the greater narrative.
However, the performances here are so heartfelt and moving, including Jade Quon’s portrayal of Jules, that one feels everything the film has to say about aging and the unfortunate loneliness that comes with it. There is something absurdly funny about the idea of aliens existing in plain sight and society not knowing about them because they couldn’t be bothered to take an old man seriously and listen for two seconds. Director Marc Turtletaub also pulls off some tricky tonal shifts, aware not to lean into them too much and where the heart of the story lies. Jules is a tender and touching exercise that leaves one wanting to be visited by an alien and to check up on their elderly relatives.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
