A movie about taking chances an what you leave behind…

A Journal For Jordan could easily be received as another black romantic movie meant to bank on the stars attached and it’s fairly new director Denzel Washington. But it’s basis on real life story of a black family that formed in an unconventional way, and how often in reality things are never perfect , but our best efforts and intentions are what make them count, makes it a story that goes beyond cliches and feels relatable in ways that all kinds of fans can enjoy or at the very least connect to.

Being one of the biggest projects from acclaimed actor Washington as a director, Journal For Jordan focuses on Dana Canedy (played by Chante Adams) and 1^st Sergeant Charles Monroe King (played by Michael B. Jordan), as two older professionals from very different worlds who fall in love and eventually have a son, the titular Jordan. Charles eventually dies in the war with Iraq and it leaves Dana to raise their son alone, with a journal left by Charles for his son to give both her and him hies best advice and thoughts on how best their son can grow up to become a good man. However rather than tell that tory in a linear fashion , we essentially start it somewhere near the end, working our way backwards and seeing how the two leads’ relationship started and everything they went through trying to form a relationship living in different cities and countries most of the time. It’s even an interesting parallel to modern day relationships, as many people nowadays have partners that aren’t in the same city or country, and in Zimbabwe’s case not even on the same continent. In fact whether by design or completely coincidental the film makes a lot of parallels to life in the 2020s, despite it’s time period being set from the late 90’s to mostly the peak of the US-Iraq war. The story explores feminism, long-distance relationships, modern day marriages, cheating and the traumas that people face from all their family problems. Along with that it’s biggest theme of parenting and what it entails in a complicated world like the one we live in today is also at the forefront.

The performances of it’s two leads are also what sell the main themes of the movie as well. Adams pulls in a respectable turn as Dana, showing a strong-willed, often stubborn woman who’s definitely worked every inch of her way to a prestigious position at the New York Times, but it’s B. Jordan’s performance as Sgt. King that steals almost every scene he’s in, playing him as admirable, honest man with an air of authority that you can’t help but respect. Being based on an actual fallen hero, it’s fitting that Jordan would play him this way, seemingly adding influences of Washington’s direction to the part as a lot of Sgt. King’s mannerisms and nuances. The fil also goes out if it’s way to show that neither Sgt King or Dana are perfect however, the latter coming from a failed marriage and the former harboring issues of trust against most men due to her parents’ tumultuous relationship. Working through a lot of those issues is a core part of their plot and it’s shown in a way that isn’t the typical “I love you I’ll change” type of speech that romcoms especially tend to rely on. The characters here are often given time to be shown working things out, even if it’s slightly hampered by the shifting through time periods. What the plot delivers most clearly however is how life and the conditions around you can never truly be perfect, and sometimes just going for something you want is the only way to get it, whether or not everything else lines up. This is shown with the birth and raising of Jordan the child. Where unfortunately his father couldn’t be there through his actual birth, and only left him the aforementioned journal for guidance. Neither could be stated to be a perfect execution of the fatherly role, but it showed a man who still did his best to share all he could with his son under arguably the worst of conditions. Even Dana’s time with the boy in future shows how she carried certain hurt and resentment, but still did all she could as a mother and trusted the little she was given by his father to help raise him well. It all sums up to a story based on effort and convictions, the former which we’ve already mentioned and the latter which was what drove the characters (and seemingly the real people they’re based on) to be figures that can be inspirational to anyone watching ,even if they’re very flawed and not exactly idealic people either. The film even throws in some commentary about the US-Iraq war as well, assessing it from both sides and bringing it down to how sometimes what matters is only what an individual fights for, and how hopefully they can achieve that even if it means dying for their beliefs.

And that’s what makes this movie worth a watch. Despite its very romantic plot threads it’s a story about more than just that. It does justice to the people it’s based on and makes points about many of the most important aspects of a person’s life and how they should live it, or rather what they should aim for. Hopefully you give it a look sometime soon.

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