Her Name Was Jo

A rare jewel in the tornado of super hero movies. The journey of Jo is not just the search for her biological father. It is far more a joint journey for the spectators with Jo as she coldly penetrates the world of adults with her only friend Selma. While the movie can be summarized in a few sentences, the emotional attachment we develop for Jo and her friend grows enormously up to the end. Heartbreaking with very dim lights of hope. Mary Cate Williams delivers a sensational performance, supported by the touching help from Eliza Duca. A movie to watch with your heart.

I am not fond of children being the main characters in movies with the exception of IT lol but wow these girls were incredible. Joe is such a great character and it's so simple but so deep. Really pulls at your heartstrings and the bootstraps! I Really enjoyed watching that and never heard of it and prime popped it up for me and I am glad it did. It's so easy to look past someone and only see their behavior or facial expression or clothes or smell they have and never understand even on the furthest level how much unbelievable stress and grief and weight some of us carry and would never tell you otherwise. A sad reality in every aspect. Very well done film.

Back when my own children were 10 years old or so we made home movies with a portable VHS recorder. The kids were not trained actors and that is very clear. Same with this small movie, the two 10-yr-old girls who carry the story are mostly adequate but my wife and I were frustrated at times by their inability to speak clearly, this caused us to miss some of the dialog. Plus the background music was mostly too loud for the rest of the sounds.

Still I found it to be a worthwhile viewing. Jo is 10, with no mother and a stepdad drunk or drugged all the time in their little home on a small lake. She has to wake him up in the mornings. Until one morning he was unable to wake up. Coincidentally when summer break starts. Jo thinks her real father is an entertainer in Los Angeles so she figures she needs to make the cross-country trip, along with her "friend".

There is a significance to use of "her name WAS" in the title, part of her reinventing her life was to begin to use of her name Josephine. Her trip is a harrowing experience, but of course all fiction. The young actress is fine except for her often unintelligible dialog.

The end credits show that this was a family affair for the writer/director/producer & lyrics writer. I presume most of the "actors" are family and friends, from the last names shown.

No, by normal movie standards this is a pretty poor movie but I am glad I watched it, for its making me think about the plight that kids like this have when they find themselves in an unstable homelife. We found it streaming on Amazon.

It's a movie you have to be patient with, there are a lot of loose ends, and some things that happen that maybe need a tad more explanation. Some scenes are maybe a little far fetched, The acting was quality, characters relatable. The plot stays on track mostly. It's not as neat and tidy as a big budget film, but it just isnt, and that's ok. I couldn't do it in one sitting, but I'm glad I came back to it. Not many films can fool me, this one was able, and I was delighted. Spoilers will ruin this film for you.

Mary Cate Williams is Jo,a ten year-old girl whose mother has died and is living in Virginia with a drug addicted father. She leaves home with her best friend and they embark on a journey to find her biological father. They encounter a colorful cast of characters along the way. Williams is excellent and the supporting cast fine. The last parts of the film were a disappointment, especially a scene with Jo and a counterpart speaking to each other with only music playing without explanation. Subtitles are needed as the two girls are sometimes impossible to hear due to bad audio and too loud and annoying music in the background. The soundtrack is a major drawback; the singer ain't Bob Dylan. Overall, worth a watch for Williams performance.