John Lithgow Gives a Career-Defining Performance in Jimpa

Film Reviews

Sundance Film Review: Jimpa
Director: Sophia Hyde
Closer Productions, Mad Ones Films
Premiere: 01.23

Contrary to any executive orders signed this week — a dismal week in American history that is felt and lamented by people from all walks of life meeting together in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival 2025 — gender, sexuality, love and life cannot be easily categorized in blanket terms and broad strokes. In her new film Jimpa, director Sophie Hyde takes a look at these subjects through a sensitive and very personal lens: her own.

Hannah (Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, The Favourite), an Australian filmmaker, takes her nonbinary teenager, Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde), to Amsterdam to visit Jim, Hannah’s eccentric and beloved gay father, and Frances’ grandfather, who goes by “Jimpa.” Jimpa suffered a stroke, and may not be as spritely as he once was, but is determined not to slow down. As they board the plane, 16-year old Frances drops the bomb that they want to stay in Amsterdam and live with Jimpa for a while to experience in the city and broaden their horizons. Hannah, who remembers all too well the abandonment she felt when Jim left her and her mother when Hannah was 13 to live authentically as a gay man, is fearful that Frances will get hurt, and that her own time with her child while they are still young will be cut too short. 

Hannah is also in early pre-production on a film based on her own childhood, determined to portray a positive, conflict-free story  that portrays the 10 years her parents spent together after Jim came out in an inspiring light. As Jimpa’s colorful life and resilient circle of aging gay friends provide inspiration, Hannah finds her own defined sexual orientation taking a turn as she tentatively explores polyamory, while Jimpa and Frances struggle to understand each other’s views of what it means to be an LGBTQ+ person. As unexpected complications arise, Hannah must reconcile her role as both a daughter and a mother, and take an honest look at her own past while making the right decision on how to support her child’s future.

Jimpa marks Hyde’s third film at Sundance and second in-person, as her last feature, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande premiered in 2022, when the festival was entirely virtual due to the pandemic. It’s a grand return, as Jimpa is a fictionalized portrait of writer-director Hyde’s relationship with her father and child. It’s a daring and raw film that invites audiences inside a very personal world. Hyde’s sensational script takes an unfiltered look at sexuality, gender identity and parent-child relationships from perspectives that we rarely, if ever, see. Though Jimpa’s love and support for his “Grandthing” is unwavering, he’s stuck in his view of what being gay meant in his time and dismissive of designations such as nonbinary and bisexual; as he introduces Frances to his group of aging gay friends, even the subject of whether or not it’s okay to say “queer” comes up for debate. This is a fascinating and skillfully written sequence, with an insightful view of the generation gap and the struggle that even the best of us face: to think outside the box and try to understand and appreciate the broader spectrum and the experiences that shape our views.  

The cinematography by Matthew Chuang (Blue Bayou, You Won’t Be Alone) is gorgeous, beautifully capturing the city of Amsterdam, subtly reflecting the flamboyance of Jimpa’s lifestyle through lighting choices and dazzling with surreal yet highly accurate ‘70s flashback sequences. 

The performances are uniformly excellent, and if you’re going to direct your own big screen alter ego, you can do a lot worse than Colman, who is truly one of the most gifted and mesmerizing actors of our time. Hannah is, at times, a cold and detached character, yet a deeply loving and human one who is still trying to find herself in many ways, and Colman brings layer upon layer of depth to the performance. Mason-Hyde, the director’s real-life nonbinary child, is a breakout talent with lovable charisma and an ability to fearlessly portray both strength and vulnerability that is utterly captivating. As the title suggests, Jimpa is central to it all, and this isn’t just Lithgow’s film to dominate — it’s an audacious and vivacious career-defining performance form one of most beloved yet still underrated Hollywood stars. Donning a very convincing Australian accent, Lithgow brings this complex and unforgettable character vividly to life, and there may be an overdue third Oscar nomination in his future.

Jimpa is a truly unique and wonderful film that couldn’t be coming at a better time for coming in the worst of times. It’s an unapologetic, humanizing, judgment-free film that is open minded in the truest sense of the term, and one that deserves to be seen by a large audience. When it does hit a wide release, the opportunities for discussion, understanding and empathy that come with it will be a light in very dark times. —Patrick Gibbs

Read more of SLUG’s coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.