In the new film Jimpa, Olivia Colman plays Hannah, a woman who travels from Adelaide to Amsterdam with her husband and 16-year-old child to visit her father, Jim, played by John Lithgow. The teenager, Frances, who is trans, announces they want to stay in the Netherlands for school, and the family responds with thoughtful support. But Jim, who left Australia decades ago for a fuller queer life, brings drama of his own.
A story of intergenerational queerness
Director Sophie Hyde explains that Lithgow insisted his character be naked in the film, often for life drawing. The film explores how families can love and disagree without conflict. Colman says she learned from playing Hannah, especially after losing her father. 'My dad and I fought a lot, but we adored each other. I learned to listen and shut up. I liked being that nicer person.'
Personal parallels
Colman recalls that Lithgow reminded her of her father. 'There were moments when a scene would make me wish I’d been calmer with my dad. He would have loved this film – he’d have sat and cried all the way through it.'
Aud Mason-Hyde, who plays Frances and is Hyde’s real child, notes the pressure on young trans people to be agreeable. 'You are constantly asked to belittle your needs for the sake of being palatable.'
Sexuality and vulnerability
Hyde’s film also tackles sexuality across ages. 'I didn’t want Jim to be asexual because he’s older. He’s a virile human being.' Frances’s first sexual experience is awkward but transformative, while Hannah has an affair with her father’s younger assistant. Colman defends the film’s depiction of sex as important to character.
Colman says she never reads reviews. 'I just thought it was a beautiful story about kind people. Who would have a problem with that?'
