Genre: Documentary

Director: Jen Bagley and Mary Hewey

Studio: Hewes Pictures

Runtime: 84 minutes

Release Date: On VOD June 19, 2020

Rated: Not rated

Review Rating ★★★★★

Jack & Yaya is a film I didn’t know I needed right now. At a time where, in our country, everything seems to be at its darkest, and intolerance is as prevalent as it’s ever been, this utterly sweet documentary about friendship and acceptance couldn’t have come at a better time. Plus, it has the bonus of releasing during Pride Month so it’s a win-win.

Directed by Jen Bagley and Mary Hewey, this joyful documentary records the year in the lives of best friends, Jack and Yaya. The film, interspersed with archival photos and home movies, details how the pair grew up with each other in New Jersey, how they found the courage to come out as transgender, and the struggles they both faced in transitioning.

Jack & Yaya is not the most in-depth LGBTQ+ documentary out there. It glosses over the grittier aspects of its subjects’ lives in favor of sequences of the two partying with friends and being with their respective families. At the same time; however, there’s something moving about watching Jack and Yaya enjoy life, not letting adversity get the best of them. By the end, I was completely won over, and my heart fully melted from this wholesome and delightful documentary.

Jack & Yaya shines brightest in the smaller moments. When Jack is struggling to take a hormone shot and Yaya is there to cheer him on; when the pair of them recall how they came out to each other, and  when Jack and Yaya use Facetime to comfort each other over what’s bothering them that day.  These moments highlight how beautiful their friendship is; it’s genuinely heartwarming to see. It makes a profound statement on the power of having a true friend who’s loving and accepting. It made me so grateful for my own best friend.  

This sentiment extends to all the members of their families. Throughout the film, we see interviews of family members, all with personalities that seemed to be ripped out of a quirky indie comedy. We learn how they each reacted to Jack and Yaya’s coming out and transitioning. Their honesty and openness about their support is so endearing, I became emotional. My favorite family member is Jack’s great Uncle Eddie. He’s a partier who always seems like he’s had one too many. The way Uncle Eddie goes on about how much he loves his nephew is one of the most heartwarming things you’ll see this year.

That’s not to say the documentary is all sunshine and flowers. The film doesn’t shy away from some of the hardships the two have faced. Yaya detailing her complex relationship with her mother and her passing due to cancer is hard to watch.Both Yaya and Jack share stories of the close-minded transphobia they endure can also be infuriating due to how awful people can be. But in the end, seeing that Jack and Yaya having each other to fall back on, and how full of life they are makes for some powerful moments.

The willingness to approach some topics does make the things Bagley and Hewey choose to gloss over much more noticeable. It’s established early on that in New Jersey, the process of changing one’s name is a long and tedious process. We witness a scene where Yaya gets bounced around the system having to call one government office only to get transferred to another only to find out they have the wrong case number and have to start all over. Despite the set-up and this scene, we never get a resolution and never learn if she is able to legally change her name.iIt begs the question —why include this scene if you’re not going to show what happens next.

There’s also aspects of Jack and Yaya’s lives I wish the directors had delved a bit deeper into. Jack has a career as an artist of some sort but we don’t know what made him pursue that. And we never learn what Yaya does for a living. It’s mentioned, and we’re shown a few archival clips of Yaya competing in ‘drag balls’ in New Jersey and is renowned for it. Being a fan of these competitions and the culture of drag, including the history behind them, I had hoped the filmmakers would explore this part of Yaya’s life more yet it’s one of those parts that was brought up but then dropped.

Despite my criticisms, I absolutely love Jack & Yaya. Its charm and sincerity will win over the harshest of cynics. I highly encourage everyone to check this film out.

For More on Jack & Yaya Visit:

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10364922/

Website: https://jackandyaya.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackandYayaFilm/
All Photos: ©2020 Hewes Pictures. All Rights Reserved.