[Tribeca 2024] JAZZY -- Indigenous Coming-of-Age Tale Is Too Mundane To Resonate

Review by Sean Boelman

Morrisa Maltz’s first narrative feature, The Unknown Country, starring the then up-and-coming Lily Gladstone, debuted at Tribeca in 2022, and she is returning to the festival with her follow-up, Jazzy. Although Jazzy certainly has some merit in its visuals, performances, and authenticity, it fails to engage audience members with meaningful, interesting conflict.  

The film follows a young Lakota girl growing up in South Dakota as she transitions from childhood to young adulthood, having to deal with challenges like her best friend moving away. Capturing the complex emotions of growing up with mundane interactions and low-key conflicts through a child’s eyes is not an unusual concept, and Jazzy offers a refreshing perspective to this approach.

However, where Maltz, along with her co-writers Andrew Hajek, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, and Vanara Taing (who all serve in various below-the-line positions too), fall short is in giving the movie meaning. Of course, there’s something to be said about simply providing a platform for underrepresented stories like this. Still, it all feels so inconsequential that it can be difficult to get invested in the story.

The biggest issue with the film is that it all feels a bit too trite to make much of an impact. Although the purpose is clearly to capture a very specific experience and perspective, it’s still a story that feels broad in its emotional beats. It is this balance between specific and universal that the movie is unable to accomplish.

Although the protagonist is compelling, the film lacks interesting supporting characters. The protagonist’s best friend, for example, isn’t written with much depth — acting as little more than a device for the protagonist’s development. If the movie had spent more time developing this friendship from both sides, it would have helped both characters (along with the story as a whole) be more engaging.

Jasmine Shangreaux (the eponymous “Jazzy”) gives a very solid turn in the lead role. Shangreaux has been gifted with the opportunity not only to play a role that is essentially a version of herself but also one that was written by her own mother. As a result, she feels incredibly naturalistic and authentic. In the supporting cast, the most recognizable name is Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), who is fine in what is essentially a cameo. (She also executive produced Jazzy and worked with Maltz on her last movie, The Unknown Country, so her participation feels more like a show of support than anything.)

It’s also quite easy to admire what Jazzy is doing aesthetically. Maltz’s choice to shoot the film — a coming-of-age story that would typically be seen as intimate — in a widescreen format is quite intriguing, drawing the viewer into the grandeur of childlike idealism. Cinematographer Andrew Hajek’s work is fantastic, being consistently gorgeous to look at.

Yet, for all of the visual splendor of the movie and even its welcome perspective on these common tropes, it feels like Jazzy is missing something. Although the film will certainly find its supporters, especially among those who can more directly identify with the specific experience it sets out to showcase, many viewers will find themselves bored.

Jazzy is screening at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 5-16 in New York City.

​Rating: 2.5/5