Sundance 2023

Rising star James, an Indonesian rapper, signs on with a label and begins to work on recording an album. To this point, managed by his father, James is faced with cutting his dad out of his career while they simultaneously work through their other familial trauma. There's a gaping hole in their lives created by the tragic death of James' brother Jaya and the subsequent departure of his mother. There's a semi-interesting story, even if some of the themes presented are very cliche. (Artists faced with sacrificing their artistic vision to appease the labels, the music Industry's commodification of artists' cultural identities, complexities of father-son working relationships, and coping with grief.) But, wow, this went really off the rails in the last 10 to 15 minutes. A goofy music video shoot sequence with an Anthony Kiedis jump scare and a baffling “Strange Fruit” needle drop torpedoed any chance of "Jamojaya" ending on a positive note. I cannot recommend this one. 

— 2 / 5 ⭐