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JT LEROY
Director: Justin Kelly Cast: Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Diane Kruger, Jim Sturgess, Kevin Harrison Jr., Courtney Love, James Jagger, Dave Brown MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:48 Release Date: 4/26/19 (limited) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | April 25, 2019 By the end of JT LeRoy, one doesn't feel any better about the multi-year hoax at the center of the eponymous character, a fictional creation of writer Laura Albert, but it is a little easier to understand the appeal of the fiction. Albert is a supporting character in the movie, which belongs to Savannah Knoop, the person who pretended to be Jeremiah "Terminator" LeRoy whenever the invented author needed to appear in public. From this angle, the story of Albert's hoax possesses a less uncomfortable, more relatable central figure. The story itself, with its constant shifting and denial of responsibility, remains slightly discomforting. Knoop co-wrote the screenplay (based on the writer's memoir) with director Justin Kelly, so it feels authentic and a little retrospectively apologetic, without ever admitting to doing anything wrong. The story begins in 2001, with Savannah (Kristen Stewart) arriving in San Francisco to live with her brother Geoffrey (Jim Sturgess) and his wife Laura (Laura Dern). Laura quickly reveals that JT LeRoy, the supposedly teenaged author of a bestselling semi-autobiographical novel, is her creation. She needs Savannah, who looks enough like the fake photo Laura used for the fictional author, to pretend to be JT for photo shoots, press engagements, and to discuss the film rights for the book with actress Eva (Diane Kruger). Soon enough, Savannah finds the idea and the benefits of being JT quite appealing. Those who know the basic outline of the real story will find this version alternately enlightening—for its observations about identity, the question of if a story's veracity affects its impact on the reader, and how the draw of fame can put a halt on one's conscience—and shallow—for how it never comes to terms with the person behind the hoax, who's either in over her head or an intentional scam artist. Stewart makes for a sympathetic figure, unsure of a purpose in the world and finding some comfort in pretending to be someone else, and Dern adds a layer of pained vulnerability to the creator who's outshone by her creation. It remains a strange story, and through the protagonist, the movie communicates how easy it was for so many people to accept a transparent fib. Sometimes painful fiction is easier to accept than painful truth, but in ignoring the possible downsides of this true-life hoax, JT LeRoy evades some difficult truths. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for language throughout, sexual content and brief nudity)
