I love Benicio Del Toro. I usually appreciate Mathieu Amalric’s peformances. I enjoyed Arnaud Desplechin’s understated and naturalistic directing in A Christmas Tale. I did not enjoy watching Jimmy P., also known as Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian, which is based on a true story written by one of the historical characters in the movie.
Jimmy P. is a Native American WWII veteran who has eliminated the possible physical causes of his ailments so he becomes a patient at a mental hospital. The majority of doctors wonder if they can treat an “Indian.” So they seek help from an avant-garde anthropologist who approaches the question in a polar opposite, but similarly offensive way. He admires Native American culture, but unintentionally comes across as someone with a fetish than a respectful appreciation.
Jimmy P. as a film may be an accurate depiction of post WWII America, but because it presents the anthropologist as someone to be admired, I felt uncomfortable. It did not help that this anthropologist had problematic views on how to properly handle women (slap them around) and a prurient rather than analytic interest in his patient’s sex life. If the titular character got better, it was more of a testament to his resourcefulness at using what limited services he was offered than the skill of his “therapist.” Jimmy P. as a film missed an opportunity, though it occasionally showed it, to deal with the systematic racism faced by the titular character. I wanted to see more scenes from his perspective than his “therapist.” As a result, neither character’s story is fully satisfying. Jimmy P.’s characterization of their relationship as a friendship instead of as an intimate professional relationship made me feel queasy like Driving Miss Daisy.
Maybe Amalric should stick to making films set in France. I obviously defer to Native American critics, but while I was enthusiastic to finally see Native American actresses treated sympathetically, they are crucial, but not central to the narrative. There wasn’t a Native American actor who could play the titular character? Jimmy P. is a disappointing and missed opportunity to use a wealth of resources to tell a still untold story.