I Am Jonas

The film runs on two timelines. In one, fifteen year old Jonas attaches himself to Nathan, a new arrival at school; in the other, Jonas at thirty-two is busy destroying himself, and only slowly do we learn why. Christophe Charrier sets the strands side by side and holds the connection back until the end. Its best observation is how trauma gets hidden: nobody speaks about it, not even the family knows, and Jonas cannot tell his own story to himself. Félix Maritaud plays the older Jonas. The texture of the nineties, the cars and the music, anchor the earlier strand. The ending neither rescues nor closes anything. Who it is for: viewers who like French drama about youth and trauma. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a clear explanation, since the truth arrives only in pieces.