 |
| Courtesy of Roadside Attractions |
The true story of Joe Bell, an
Oregonian man who embarked on a nationwide walk from the West Coast to New York
to raise awareness about bullying after his son Jadin took his own life after
being bullied for being gay in a conservative community, is one of inspiration
and terrible tragedy. Months into his act
of penance and letting people know what happened to his son, he was struck by a
semi-truck in Colorado before dying. In
the years since, however, the story of Jadin Bell’s struggling against prejudice
and homophobia followed by his father Joe’s own personal crusade against
bullying has become a tale of inspiration and one which in these trying times
Hollywood was quick to take notice of.
As daunting of a trek in real life as
it was to realize on film, Joe Bell has had something of a difficult
journey to the silver screen. Originally
set to be directed by No Time to Die Cary Joji Fukunaga in 2015 with A24
backing it before stepping down to let newcomer Reinaldo Marcus Green take on directorial
duties, the film attracted the attention of actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Wahlberg
signing on as producers before Wahlberg took on the central role of Joe Bell
himself. With the still ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic reopening and shuttering theaters again throughout the world,
the Hollywood red carpet premiere set for last week was cancelled while other
states in the country still went ahead and played the film.
 |
| Courtesy of Roadside Attractions |
The first Ultra Panavision (8K digital
instead of analog 70mm film) picture since Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful
Eight, Joe Bell is an intimately poignant father-son story told on a
grand panoramic scale. Told in
flashbacks as the spirit of Jadin Bell (Reid Miller) follows Joe Bell (Mark
Wahlberg) on his journey across America as he stops in schools and gay bars to
share his story, Joe Bell largely takes place within the headspace of
the title character and what he’s thinking about on his lonely crusade. Also joining the cast is veteran actor Gary
Sinise in a touching cameo as a local sheriff with a story of loss not
dissimilar from that of the film’s hero.
Visually Joe Bell with its
2.76:1 ultra-widescreen lenses affixed to the 8K digital cameras is
unquestionably one of the most beautiful looking films of the year. Moreover, the format is generally used for
big expensive Hollywood spectacles.
Since the format was revived by Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight however,
the camera has been put to increasingly experimental use with Joe Bell bringing
the camera’s own journey in film history full circle. If you ever wondered what high school locker
rooms or small town American areas in the desolate open west looked like in Ultra
Panavision, here’s your opportunity.
Performance wise the film is fine with
Mark Wahlberg and Gary Sinise turning over dependably solid performances. Also a standout actor in the piece is Reid
Miller as Jadin Bell who is tasked with making the youth relatable and his own ordeal
painful for the audience to witness.
Still, for all of the earnestness of the piece and importance of the
story being told, one gets the sense there’s something amiss here. As far as cross country movies go,
particularly ones done at a snail’s pace as some kind of personal exorcism of
one’s own demons, David Lynch’s The Straight Story still holds the crown
for being the finest example of that subgenre of film.
 |
| Courtesy of Roadside Attractions |
Joe Bell as a film is stunningly beautiful to look at with a
heartbreaking story at the epicenter that ushers in a new chapter of Ultra
Panavision filmmaking which unfortunately also falls short as a piece of
compelling drama. For all the staggering
visual spectacle and the strength of the performances, Joe Bell is
merely good when it had all of the ingredients on hand to be absolutely great.
--Andrew Kotwicki
