Cleveland Film Festival

 Last night I went and saw Matching Jack. I would consider it a tear-jerking drama. The movie was beautifully done by Nadia Tass, an Australian director. Matching Jack follows the story of the Hagan family, who find out their son, Jack, has leukaemia. While he is in the hospital, Marisa finds out her husband has had multiple affairs over the years. Doctors say to save Jack, the best treatment would be a bone marrow transplant, and the best match would be a sibling. In an attempt to save her child, Marisa confronts her husband's affairs to see if any had children by him. The ultimate theme is, "how far would a mother go?"


http://www.matchingjack.com/trailer/


For me the music had a big impact on the movie. When Jack is in the hospital he becomes friends with a boy named Finn. As Finn becomes sicker in the comforts of his own home, the music was gut-wrenching. I balled my eyes out because the music fit so perfectly with the scene. It was overpowering, yet since none of the characters were speaking it really made the scene. When the scenes were happy the music demonstrated, it was upbeat and faint in the background. Some of the music I noticed had singing, which I noticed, but it was only during scenes that did not having dialogue.


All the characters did an amazing job with such a huge issue. The two parts that stick out to me are when Marisa and David come home from the hospital and she finally lets out how upset she is by the affairs and tells him to leave. The second part, which made me cry, was when Finn learns his leukaemia is very detrimental. He screams and punches his dad and says how scared he is to die. Kodi Smit-McPhee plays Finn and is only fourteen years old. He was the most touching character for me. He did an amazing job taking on such a serious role. The make-up also had a touch on making him look so sick. They put dark circles under is eyes and made him very pale. His hair looked like it was growing back. It was hard not to feel a strong connection with this character.


I noticed there were many close-up images of the characters. A specific part is when Connor, Finn's dad, finds out his son is dying. The camera angle is zoomed in on his face. Again, when Marisa finds out her husband might leave her for another woman. The audience really is able to get the pain these characters are feeling. By seeing them so upset, the audience is bound to feel sympathy for them. I think a major reason I got so emotional watching this movie because it is true. Children all over the world are going through life-threatening illnesses. Every day a child is battling leukaemia, every day a child loses his/her fight. And seeing how young these characters were just touched my heart.


The way Nadia captured scenes had a large part. Just by noticing the lighting and the tone of the scene you would know if it was happy or sad. The colors and lighting were bright when something good was happening. However, the sad and depressing scenes were dull with minimal lighting. Almost, like a fog was over the scene.


I think this film really represents the documentation of Finn and Jack and their battles with leukaemia. It is a sad realization that children are fighting this disease all over the world. And families are having to deal with the stresses of trying to make their children better, whether that is through love or finding a cure. The love that Marisa and Connor have for Finn and Jack is such an emotional bond. Marisa is pushing aside her own issues to find a bone marrow donor, while Connor is trying to make Finn's last moments comfortable and not so scary. 


I would recommend this movie to anyone.  However, make sure to bring lots of tissues because between the plot, characters, and music, you will be crying the whole time.