Frances is a child between two worlds. At the age of 16, they’re on the cusp of maturity, exploring their nonbinary identity but still with a lot to learn. In Jimpa, Frances, played by writer-director Sophie Hyde’s child Aud Mason-Hyde, is confronted by this world head on as they accompany their parents, Hannah (Olivia Colman) and Harry (Daniel Henshall), to visit Hannah’s father Jim (John Lithgow) in Amsterdam.
- Release Date
-
January 23, 2025
- Runtime
-
123 Minutes
- Director
-
Sophie Hyde
- Writers
-
Sophie Hyde, Matthew Cormack
- Producers
-
Sue Maslin, Bryan Mason, Marleen Slot, Troy Lum, Ester Harding
Many years prior, Jim (played in flashbacks by Bryn Chapman Parish) left Hannah, her sister, and their mom in Adelaide to pursue a different life, one where he could live openly as a gay man in a city that was more prepared to accept him. Hannah is insistent that this did not affect her, but her aversion to conflict in any aspect of her life makes it clear that there’s quite a bit she hasn’t reckoned with.
Jimpa Wears Its Heart On Its Sleeve
The Film’s Earnestness Is Endearing
Hannah is forced to confront conflict head-on when Frances announces they want to live in Amsterdam for a year with their grandfather. Though it’s a conversation Hannah mostly avoids throughout the film, it forces her to confront Jimpa’s own leaving while she decides whether she can trust him to take care of Frances.
Jimpa is quite a force; a professor and activist who lives a “hedonistic” lifestyle, he lovingly calls Frances his “grand-thing” though he often misgenders them. His Amsterdam home is littered with papers and books and decor, a haphazard representation of his revolving door policy when it comes to lovers, friends, and students.
Mason-Hyde is the real breakout here, their scenes with Colman and Lithgow adding a depth to both of the seasoned actors’ performances.
His life stands in stark contrast to that of Hannah’s, which feels much more constrained — a feature, not a bug. Jimpa jokingly calls out Hannah and Harry for their heterosexual lifestyle, a sly way of endearing himself to Frances. This collision of lifestyles — the nuclear family against Jim’s singledom — is but one of the many clashes of values the film takes an interest in.
At its heart, Jimpa is about queer people of different generations and how they see the world. All Jim knows is the fight — for equality, for AIDS awareness, for a life lived in the open. Because of that, he releases this tension in different ways: dark room hook-ups, non-monogamous relationships, copious amounts of wine, a fierce dedication to his work.
Related
By Design Review: I’ve Never Been More Fascinated By A Chair Than In This Artsy Yet Thoughtful Dramedy
By Design explores the loneliness of wanting to be seen, and how the characters attempt that in a world that would rather they be a sounding board.
Frances is on the cusp of discovery, but they’re not quite there when it comes to understanding the context in which they live as a non-binary person in the modern queer world. Jim, too, is not sure exactly where he fits in this era either, expressing bewilderment at Frances’s approach to gender and sexuality. It’s not that he doesn’t want to understand, it’s just that his fight was so singularly focused that the expansion of what it means to be queer in the modern world can be daunting.
Aud Mason-Hyde Is The Breakout Star Of Jimpa
Olivia Colman & John Lithgow Also Give Heart-Wrenching Performances
Mason-Hyde is the real breakout here, their scenes with Colman and Lithgow adding a depth to both of the seasoned actors’ performances. Hannah and Jim so desperately want to understand Frances that they overlook the very simple ways in which they already do.
Hannah is caught in the middle of Frances and Jim’s generational differences, her open-mindedness a way to ignore the underlying emotional issues of her father leaving her, which occupies much of Colman’s story. She’s working on a film about the relationship between her mother and father, with the crux of the film based around his departure.

Related
Sundance 2025 Preview: 7 Biggest Movies That Could Dominate The Year
Sundance offers up huge movie premieres and under-the-radar gems. Here’s our predictions for the films that could breakout and dominate 2025.
In meetings with collaborators, though, Hannah insists her father’s departure isn’t a source of conflict for her family or that there was any emotional impact on her as a 13-year-old. Her collaborators are mystified by this position and much of Jimpa revolves around Hannah’s slow acceptance of the fact that maybe Jim leaving resonated more than she cares to admit.
Ultimately, Jimpa may have a bit too much on its plate, and it opts for a sincerity that feels a bit too saccharine at times. Still, it’s refreshing to see queer family dynamics explored in this way. Hyde pulls from her own life for this story and there’s a genuine tenderness that overrides the film’s few shortcomings. Along with its genuine humor and a frank exploration of the different ways queer people live today, Jimpa is an emotional experience that feels authentic in a way that can be difficult to capture.
Jimpa premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23.

Jimpa
- Release Date
-
January 23, 2025
- Runtime
-
123 Minutes
- Director
-
Sophie Hyde
- Writers
-
Sophie Hyde, Matthew Cormack
- Producers
-
Sue Maslin, Bryan Mason, Marleen Slot, Troy Lum, Ester Harding
- Jimpa is an authentic exploration of queer identity that pulls from director Sophie Hyde’s own life.
- Olivia Colman & John Lithgow deliver great performances, but newcomer Aud Mason-Hyde is the real breakout star.
- Jimpa’s frank discussions about family and queerness are refreshing and tender.
- Jimpa tackles a lot and while it has room to explore its themes, some threads are left unfinished.