Without is highly captivating which makes it stand out the most. It is a small film, with few characters and locations. Even then, it is a film that grabbed my interest from the start. This can be attributed to the casting. Mark Jackson, the director, tells this very quiet story with numerous angles and shots that are interesting but not distracting. His use of focus and angles prevents the film from feeling stagnant while also accentuating his talent as a director.
Another key piece is the main actress Joslyn Jensen. She is superb in this very difficult role. As the variable, she needs to be burning with emotions but also subtly quite charming. She absolutely manages to do so. She’s also entirely committed to the more absurd and unsettling aspects of the film, which feature extensive nudity and some heavy emotional outbursts. This is an astounding piece of acting.
Without bases some details too and allows the audience to fill in gaps. While the overall film captures the present moment, it gives clues into what transpired previously to contextualize Joslyn’s transformation. This means that while Joslyn’s sexuality is a significant aspect of the film, it is not the overriding theme. It is refreshing to witness a well-developed LGBTQ* character who is more than just their sexuality, and I appreciate that.
What is problematic in the film, however, is how Joslyn treats her vegetative charge. It shifts from neglect to sexual assault. Joslyn starts performing behavior like kissing him, undressing in his presence, and even getting into bed naked with him. One positive element of the film is that it makes a point about this behavior not being acceptable. In many light-hearted movies, Joselyn’s actions would not be deemed problematic and often are justified because they are committed by a young woman. Without does not do this. It understands that this is not okay.
Although Without has empathy for Joslyn’s character, the film fails to grasp the full magnitude of the situation. Joslyn’s life is not ideal, but given that she is abusing a man in a vegetative state makes it nearly impossible for me to sympathize with her. As a viewer, I find it disturbing that at the end of the film, Joslyn gets away with abusing an innocent defenseless man. She has an emotional breakdown over petty grievances and just walks away. But that is the way the film ends. It is certainly nonsensical for the filmmakers to not provide more context as to why this man was abused. Get me wrong, I appreciate the emotional breakthrough, but the fact she is achieving that breakthrough while escaping from the wrongdoing makes me feel very uneasy. The reality of the situation is that Without did not capture the overwhelming abuse that Joslyn inflicted. Her undeserved happy ending only makes it worse, as she is given the opportunity to feel free instead of actually feeling the consequences of her actions.
What interested me about Without is how engaging it is. The downside is that it doesn’t really add up. I was disappointed by the anticlimactic ending that the movie had. For a film that I enjoy watching, the plot seemed unsatisfying. There is also the issue of considering how little emphasis was placed on Joslyn’s act of sexually abusing her charge. That was disturbing to me personally. But at least it stirred up some emotions in me.
To watch more movies like Without Ward (2022), visit hurawatch.