"Jackson" is an enjoyable if flawed short film which I've always thought of fondly having seen it years ago on Channel 4. I felt it showed great promise and potential, even if it didn't quite deliver as a totally convincing and rounded film.
The film clearly is the product of a whole heap of interesting ideas, many of which are successful or nearly successful - the sense of magic, the fantastic mother figure (a wonderful overbearing upper class lush who is prone to histrionics, think Miss Haversham crossed with Bubbles Rothermere), the attempt to show the journey of a gay romance from initial flirtation through to mourned loss.
The use of music is interesting and works well too - a Britten choral work for boys' choir accompanies a sexily executed love scene shot in moody half-light, the final song at the very end sets an upbeat tone for the future ("I was love sick but now I'm feeling better").
As well as the music, the locations and pacing do a great job of conveying the buzz of mid-nineties London and showing off a fresh and vibrant gay scene, effectively contrasted with the old-world grandeur of the house where Jackson grew up.
Yes, there is some over-acting and yes the thing doesn't feel like it totally comes together (the central "ghost" story never quite works) but this film stands out as the work of someone who could produce great things once they've refined their craft.
There are some great moments that live with you afterwards - the drunken mother angrily stamping a fluffy pink mule on a call button to summon her maid, the sinister way she reminds her son "there's you, there's me, and there's nobody else", the way that erotic elements are picked up and weaved in to give the film an intelligent and subtle sexiness.
All in all this is a short which shouldn't be dismissed and drips with the promise of greater things to come.
