Jazzy<\/em> serves as a follow-up to Maltz\u2019s narrative feature debut, The Unknown Country<\/em>, but this stands alone. Viewers who caught that 2022 Lily Gladstone-led film might find Jazzy<\/em> an even richer experience than the uninitiated, but everything in Jazzy<\/em> works well even for those who didn\u2019t see Matlz\u2019s previous work. Thankfully, this isn\u2019t the MCU, where you\u2019re required to have seen every movie and TV show, no matter how seemingly unimportant, for everything to make sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, this feels true and familiar to its core, thanks to all of its details about the life of young Jazzy (Jasmine Shangreaux). We follow her from ages six through twelve, and we watch Jazzy evolve and change, living through all the joys and pains of growing up. It mostly focuses on her friendship with neighbor Syriah (Syriah Fool Head Means) and their daily interactions across their town. The girls are inseparable, until outside forces threaten to keep them apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writers Maltz, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, Vanara Taing, and Andrew Hajek based the script on stories from Jasmine Shangreaux and Means, and the dialogue feels like we\u2019re simply eavesdropping on the conversations of these children and their classmates. Jazzy<\/em> is marvelously authentic in its depiction of the everyday lives of young girls; we\u2019re watching as these kids are just being kids, exploring the world around them and their place in it. They experience the fun and silliness of being young, but there\u2019s also heartbreak from things they can\u2019t control. What might seem like a small slight to a grown-up is a catastrophe to them, and it makes you remember what that felt like. Meanwhile, adults exist on the periphery in Jazzy<\/em>, with parents and teachers present but off screen. Gladstone, who serves as executive producer alongside the Duplass brothers, revisits her role from The Unknown Country<\/em> as Tana, but she isn\u2019t the star here. Jazzy<\/em> fully centers Jazzy and Syriah\u2019s perspective and feelings, and it\u2019s impossible not to feel everything they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jazzy<\/em> appropriately ambles at the leisurely pace of childhood. It drags a bit at times, but it\u2019s a reminder of the benefits of taking it slow. Filmed across six years, Jazzy <\/em>is a coming-of-age movie reminiscent of Richard Linklater\u2019s Boyhood<\/em> in how it literally grows with this kid as we see her learn and mature. Terrence Malick\u2019s visual marks are also clear, seen in the dreamy cinematography from co-writer Hajek, lens flares, and shots of characters running through tall grass. Yet Jazzy <\/em>still feels new; it isn\u2019t just devoting its attention to a girl, but a Lakota girl, and the specificity of her experience makes this appear fresh amidst its influences. Editors Laura Colwell and Vanara Taing earned an Indie Spirit nomination for their work, with gorgeous montages that elevate the film as a whole into a quiet wonder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFriends are important. The most important,\u201d Jazzy says near the end, with wisdom beyond her years. With its emotional conclusion, Jazzy<\/em> reminds the audience of the value of friendship, with the effects of our childhood relationships echoing throughout the rest of our lives, if we\u2019re lucky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/jazzy2-1024x577.jpeg\")
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