Fledgling drag queen Russell packs up his bags and leaves the city after a breakup. He ends up staying with his grandma out in the sticks under the pretence that he’s just collecting the car. Instead, a few days turns into a longer stay when he finds a gay bar in town, he meets someone new and believes he can take care of his grandma. But when realisations come to light, Russell has to decide what he really wants to do with his life.
There are different layers to this story, Russell and his Fishy persona are just one. On the surface it’s about an actor struggling to find an identity and cautiously embracing drag as a way to express himself. Then there’s Margaret, who faces being placed in an assisted living home and losing grip on her own life. There are also the flashbacks to how Margaret’s husband killed himself and the hint that Russell could end up on the same path. These parallel stories from the past and the present collide through half hazy dreams while Russell indulges in drink and drugs and then towards the end when Margaret goes through photographs of her younger self when she used to skate. Holding on to something creative is key here and whether someone is strong enough to keep going.
One of the main aspects of the film is how artists are seen and how they view themselves. As Russell is an actor but can’t seem to find work, his boyfriend ends their long-term relationship because he doesn’t take Russell’s drag act as serious work. It doesn’t help that Russell is still finding his way and downplays his drag act as a ‘just a hobby’. His grandfather was also an artist or rather, he saw himself as an artist, according to Margaret, but couldn’t take the pressure and just drank. Margaret herself was an ice skater, she was so good that she could have taken her talent further but she didn’t, excusing her stopping for the war going on at the time. It seems that art and creativity flow in the family but doesn’t have positive outcomes. Russell is the one who has to break the chain and continue performing.
Jump, Darling is being streamed as part of BFI Flare from 17th March