'A Journal for Jordan': Denzel Washington's film starring Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams is an Unmissable Tribute to Small Moments
I want you to know that it's alright for boys to cry. This line, spoken only a few minutes into the new film A Journal for Jordan, is a perfect start to a movie that will leave you ugly-crying into your mask (based on personal experience.)
The movie follows the real-life relationship of Sgt. Charles Monroe King, played by Michael B. Jordan, and Dana Candey, played by Chanté Adams. When King dies at war, he leaves behind a journal, intended for his son Jordan, played by Jalon Christian about how to grow up to be a good person even without a father figure.
"Dear Jordan,
I want you to know that it's alright for boys to cry."
The film is about so much more than that, though. Knowing early on that King dies at war allows the viewer to focus on the powerful moments rather than the overarching plot. It is not a story of grandiose gestures and dramatic moments; it is one of small moments, joyful, sad, seemingly insignificant, that build a life.
The directorial tact exercised in this film (thank you Denzel Washington) puts the audience through emotional acrobatics to emphasize the delicate power of each moment. You would think, in a movie about romance and death, that you would be crying the entire time, but instead, one moment would leave you sobbing while the next would have you laughing louder than you have in a while.
We see hilarious real-life moments in the film: Dana Candey singing to herself in her car; her parents getting overly involved her love life; and her anxiety-driven-over-thinking of 'what-do-I-wear-to-bed-do-I-let-him-sleep-in-my-bed-how-about-these-long-pants?' Yet in the same flawless stroke, Washington's direction has us weeping: when King gets called to war; when they fight because he stood up Dana; when Jordan sees red balloons and says "Dad!"
None of these moments are major slapstick exaggerations of humor, or desperate pleas to elicit an emotional response from the room. They are real. That is what makes them so powerful.
The movie also does not lean too heavily on the side of either rom-com or romance, allowing its characters to be real - and even AWKWARD.
I don't mean awkward in a traditional rom-com way, either. No one is falling down in a flurry of papers while they make eye contact with the person who we instantly know will be their everything. I mean awkward in the regimented way King lives his life; a system that proves successful, though not always helpful for picking up on social cues. He remains a fish-out-of-water in New York. He goes to leave the family picnic with barely a word. He is always wearing old sneakers, and he only ordered salad when they went out to an Italian restaurant. (If you don't see why that's awkward, you need to do some soul searching.)
Dana confides in her friend group (a necessary staple of any rom-com related film), saying she's not sure if he is her type. They let each other be imperfect people, which makes the story all the more beautiful, perfect, and real. It is within these awkward moments that the amazing intricacy and reality of their life together is built.
There are no big, flawless moments in their relationship, either; each small moment creates the monumental, compelling story. As King is in the military and does not live in New York, the lion's share of their relationship in the beginning exists over the phone - it's like Tinder, but if Tinder were...better.
Innocuous phone call after innocuous phone call demonstrates how a real closeness is built. There is nothing they talk about in particular. They just talk about their days, their lives, their here-and-theres. The viewer is able to view and feel first hand how these small phone calls created a foundation for the meaningful closeness that became their relationship.
Months down the line, the two are on a phone call when Candey says she wants a baby and King proposes. This moment, impeccably acted by Adams and Jordan, serves as a marker. It shows how something so small and simple as a phone call has been the thread that carried them through their relationship.
This movie is a beautiful tribute to love and humanity. The excellent performances by Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams, along with the skillful direction of Denzel Washington, make it an absolutely unmissable experience. Especially in this time - when the world is chaotic, nothing is exactly how it should be, and life is a constant state of unpredictability - it is great to remember the beauty and luster of small moments. A Journal for Jordan serves as that reminder.
