Just Jim

Sixteen-year-old Jim (Craig Roberts) lives as an outsider in a small Welsh village. Jim’s parents are cold toward him, at school he’s considered a loser, and even his dog doesn’t particularly like him. When his dog dies, Jim’s isolation deepens. But his loneliness comes to an abrupt end when the cool, confident American Dean (Emile Hirsch) moves in next door with his convertible. Dean embodies everything Jim wishes he were. Above all, though, he offers him his friendship. As Dean teaches him how to be “cool,” Jim gradually realizes that this newfound attention also has a dark side—and that he risks losing himself in the process... With “Just Jim,” Craig Roberts (“Submarine”) presents an original coming-of-age story about teenage self-doubt that suddenly turns into a thriller. In this clever, darkly humorous production—which even parodies the film noirs of the golden age—the Jim/Dean duo stands out above all: Roberts himself uses his youthful appearance to look like a 16-year-old as Dean, while Californian Emile Hirsch (“Into the Wild”) perfectly portrays the young American with a split personality—cool and dangerous at the same time. “Just Jim” is considered a promising feature film debut, with which the then 24-year-old director Craig Roberts celebrated its premiere at the SXSW Festival and garnered much praise.