One of this year’s best films is a black-and-white portrait of memories-in-the-making. And, no, I’m not talking about Belfast. Sure, Belfast will be a top Oscar contender – it’s a crowd-pleasing, generic film filled with Oscar-bait performances. But I’m talking about the other, better black-and-white film of this Oscar season: C’mon C’mon. The one that will get significantly fewer eyes on it than Belfast, and likely less critical attention or acclaim, but that deserves decidedly more.
C’mon C’mon, by writer/director Mike Mills, stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny, a radio journalist who is touring the U.S. to document Q&A sessions with kids about what their lives are like. Johnny takes a break from the road when his sister Viv (Gaby Hoffman) tells him her ex-husband (Scoot McNairy) is on the verge of a psychological collapse and can no longer take care of himself. Though Viv and Johnny are somewhat estranged, Johnny volunteers to babysit Viv’s young son, Jesse (Woody Norman), while Viv takes care of her ex.
Although Johnny has spent considerable time interviewing children in his career, it immediately becomes clear that he has no idea how to interact with one. The film alludes to Viv’s strained relationship with her mother, and C’mon C’mon presents a view into a sort of boho, modern-day version of parenting by someone who probably spent a lot of time in therapy unpacking things about her own childhood. Viv indulges Jesse’s creative side but is direct and forthright with Jesse about hard truths and their emotional repercussions. As Johnny slowly adjusts to Jesse’s mature-yet-inquisitive nature, Mills explores the ins-and-outs of modern-day radical honesty when parenting a young child, using radio as a microscope.
Unlike the aforementioned Belfast, which feels like it’s drained the film of color for the sake of looking “old,” C’mon C’mon justifies the style choice in a few more important ways. Mills might be employing the choice of black-and-white to emphasize sound and radio as a medium over color and film, given Johnny’s day-job and the ongoing interviews. It might also be to ground the film into one, more cohesive-looking experience, given that Johnny and Jesse jet set from California to New York and even Louisiana (h/t to Kyle Pinion on that theory). By keeping the film in black and white, these very different-looking settings all dwell in the same color palette and become one cohesive journey and memory. With the combined effect, California’s blue coast is reduced to a colorless sound of ocean waves lapping against the shore, while New York’s grainy streets fall out of focus in favor of the sound of taxi cabs and subways.
Or more simply, the black-and-white palette suggests one of the biggest concerns for the film’s characters: Johnny and Jesse are trapped in the idea that the moments they live in are already becoming past tense. As Johnny interviews children in cities across the United States about their lives, he often touches on the future. What will the world look like when they’re older? Are we leaving them a world they’ll be able to safely inhabit? Whether it was 10 years ago or 10 minutes ago, every action Johnny’s generation takes is already becoming part of a reckless past, one he knows future generations will look back on with disdain.
But as Jesse begins to fill up Johnny’s life with a realistic, rather than abstract, vision for the future, C’mon C’mon contends not only with a fear for future generations, but grapples with how to hold onto the past, too. Johnny rightly admits to Jesse that when Jesse is older, these series of days, weeks, and months they’ve spent together will be distilled into just a few basic memories. Most of the things Jesse can remember about his long stay with his uncle will decay with time. Though Johnny acknowledges it casually and without much thought, this concept horrifies Jesse and keeps him up at night. The horror of the thought sticks with viewers, too. For every warm memory we have a departed family member or a time we can’t go back to, how many have we also lost?
Lastly, it goes without saying that Phoenix’s performance as Johnny is unsurprisingly pitch-perfect, but I’ll say it anyways. Because he gravitates towards emotionally intense roles, it’s almost a relief to see him stretch out into a role that’s a little more warm and familiar. If C’mon C’mon receives any critical award recognition, it will likely be for him. But keep an eye on newcomer Norman as the young Jesse. He goes toe-to-toe with Phoenix in every scene, no easy feat, and likely has an impressive career ahead of him.