TulaneLSU’s monthly movie rec: Jasper Mall

Friends,

A decade ago if I did not see five movies at the theatre each week I felt I was doing a disservice to the Arts Board. While my theatre trips declined in the years leading up to COVID-19, I still loved attending the shows, usually at The Palace in Harahan or The Prytania, where I saw my first movies. Like many of you I miss the theatre experience and all the memories the sounds and smells that go with the big screen.

In the absence of movies, I have traveled a little more and found myself watching movies on the stream. It amazes me how we can turn on a TV and receive so much information, colors, and sounds, all through waves invisible in the air. Perhaps now I watch five movies a week again. I do not like shows except Frontline and NOVA and docs by Ken Burns, if you consider those shows. It is seldom these days that I find any new movies worthy of merit. I did find that Peanut Butter Falcon flick touching.

Last night Amazon recommended I watch Jasper Mall. I looked at the thumbnail of the film, if that is what it is called when you click on the film but before committing to watching it, and noticed the actors simply named Mike and Robin, as if they were American equivalents of Pele or Bono and needed no further introduction. I said to Mother, “Shall we at least view it for a few moments to see if the cinematography is worthwhile and not like those cheap ‘Christian’ films made with IPhone quality cameras?”

Mother nodded and we committed to the film with another click. It did not take long for both of our attentions to fix on the beautifully made film. I won’t go into details of the film’s plot, but will say the film left me with tears in my eyes on several occasions. It is perhaps the most elegiac of films of the decade, and is sure to stir a range of emotions for anyone born between 1970 and 1990 in America.

The film is ripe with deep symbolism as well as a beautiful picture of small town America South, capturing their stories and minds better than any of the many documentaries I have seen on the subject. While the film may focus on the mall, the people that make the mall make the film.

Mother and I are already planning a trip to Jasper to visit this mall. And we may also do some travels to malls nearer to see these decaying beauties. Please share your thoughts on this movie once you view it.

Yours,
TulaneLSU