★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

If you are looking for a film that serves bizarreness and beauty hand-in-hand, Zoé Wittock’s Jumbo will give you just that. The film is a love story between Jeanne, a shy outcast, and Jumbo, a whirling amusement park ride adopted by Jeanne’s workplace. The film balances satire of a tired genre with genuine sincerity, choosing to cast Jeanne and Jumbo as a couple whose relationship is worth exploring even though it’s a bit… out there.

Where Jumbo lost us was the subtext. The film was so focused on being unique that once we got over the initial strangeness of the romance, there was little left to keep us interested. It’s unclear whether Jumbo wants you to laugh at its protagonist, feel sorry for her, or even like her at all and that lack of commitment left us wanting something more beneath the surface.

Check out our (slightly more) in depth podcast review + rating below! Podcast music by Brian K.S. Cole.

Jessica apologizes in advance for her inability to pronounce a single name correctly.