The first thing that will come into the mind of most people watching C’Mon C’Mon will probably be the desires and hopes of the next generation. But cruising through the heart of the story we will see how Mile Mills has told a subtle story of human interaction and motherhood — woven around that highly valued skill of listening to each other. Utilizing a rich form of black and white cinematography, an emotional story flows and we may get lost in it for a while.
Johnny (Joaquin phoenix) is a radio journalist that travels toward different states of the US with a colleague (Molly Webster.) He asks high school teenagers about their families, society and what they are looking forward to in the future. The canny answers are often moving and may provoke the viewers to encounter the oft-ignored rudimentary aspects of life.
Johnny’s personal life has its own highs and lows; the broken relationship with his adored sister Viv (Gaby Hoffmann), a love loss that he shrugs off to explain throughout the film and his unwilling association with his nephew Jesse (Woody Norman). It is hard to imagine anybody but Joaquin Phoenix in this role. His proven charming character-building gels into the role. His pensive mood, his smile and his reaction to unanswered questions makes Johnny’s character tangibly plausible.
A particular strength of the film is on the show in various story telling scenes by Viv, Johnny and even Jesse. Especially worthy in a world immersed in social media, the film helps us broaden our horizon to the world around and open our ears to grasp the stories that surround us.
Viv has troubles with his ex-husband bipolar character and must visit him in another city. Jesse will accompany them unenthusiastically. They travel to New York with each other to continue Johnny’s project. At first, we may see that Johnny is supposed to look after Jessy. But Jessy challenges Johnny with the wide variety of questions and reminds him of how insecure and fragile he could be. Clarity and courage are highly needed; qualities that are easily perceivable in Jesse’s behavior
Robbie Ryan, the talented cinematographer whom we know from his amazing work on The Favorite by Yorgos Lanthimos (which earned him a BAFTA nomination) and Marriage Story has done a great job here: It makes you feel like you are going through an impressive street photography book. The films gathers more depth with striking music by Aaron and Bryce Dessner.
When Mark Kermode was asked by BBC’s Film Review why the film was in black and white, he had a simple answer: “why not?”
The black and white camera work helps penetrate the heart of streets, highways, cafes and restaurants: it gives the film a pondering feel. When the teenagers talk about racism, commitment and understanding we might contemplate what heritage we have left them.
In an era of superheroes and apocalyptical movies, a film that emphasizes such a vast spectrum of relationships between individuals is truly refreshing.