Jimpa: A Queer Family Drama Explores the Possibility of No-Conflict Storytelling

In Jimpa, Olivia Colman plays Hannah, a filmmaker who travels from Adelaide with her husband Harry and their 16-year-old trans child Frances to Amsterdam to meet Hannah’s father, Jimpa, portrayed by John Lithgow. Frances announces a desire to stay in Netherlands for schooling, while Jimpa’s presence, an 80-year-old gay man, introduces tension that tests family’s dynamics.

The Guardian

Director Sophie Hyde wrote and directed Jimpa, framing it as an inquiry into intergenerational queerness and drama without overt conflict. Lithgow insisted that “Jimpa has to be naked.” Colman filmed her scenes from Los Angeles while Hyde joined via video from Adelaide. Aud Mason-Hyde, Colman’s child, plays Frances. The film streams in United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.

The Guardian

The story foregrounds intergenerational queerness, filial disappointment, and septuagenarians who defy aging. Except Harry, each character experiences a sexual encounter that reshapes self-understanding, positioning sexuality as central to identity through a queer lens. The film asks whether society has lost the capacity or inclination to conciliate, probing tension between loving-kindness and instinctive conflict.

The Guardian

Sophie Hyde says the film explores whether characters can respond with loving kindness instead of conflict and how they might disagree without repression. Olivia Colman notes that playing Hannah prompted reflection on her relationship with her late father, emphasizing listening and restraint. Aud Mason-Hyde highlights the nonsensical pressure on young trans people to be palatable and soothe others.

The Guardian

Critics question the film’s no-conflict premise, suggesting it may lack narrative tension. An audience comment that “the kind of sex people have is the least interesting thing about them” sparked debate on the film’s treatment of sexuality. Aud Mason-Hyde reports backlash described as “awful and dehumanising,” and Olivia Colman says she does not read reviews.

The Guardian

• “When I first met John,” says director Sophie Hyde, “he said, ‘Jimpa has to be naked!’ He was so sure about that.” — Sophie Hyde, Director

The Guardian

• “having a fake argument with my fake mum, directed by my real mum, and the dynamics of the whole thing, when you zoom out, make you think, ‘What are we doing?’” — Aud Mason-Hyde, Actor (Frances)

The Guardian

• “In an immensely magnified way, to be a young trans person, you are constantly asked to belittle your needs and wants for the sake of being palatable and agreeable, being one of the easy trans people to get along with.” — Aud Mason-Hyde, Actor (Frances)

The Guardian

• “I’m not very thick-skinned and I don’t want to know. I just thought it was a beautiful story about kind people and who the fuck would have a problem with that?” — Olivia Colman, Actress

The Guardian