Summary
This coming-of-age story is set in a beautiful location with some genuinely heartfelt moments. Yet, you’ll probably forget about it as soon as the credits start rolling.
This review of the Netflix film Jumping from High Places does not contain spoilers.
Jumping from High Places (original title: Per Lanciarsi Dalle Stelle) is a Netflix original feature written by Alice Urciuolo and directed by Andrea Jublin. The movie is set in the stunning Apulia region, in southern Italy, and it stars Federica Torchetti (who you might remember from The Catholic School) as Sole Santoro, a young woman suffering from debilitating anxiety. Sole’s mental health issues are preventing her from living life to the fullest. When former crush Massino (Lorenzo Richelmy) returns to town, he delivers a long-overdue letter left by his sister, Emma, who also happened to be Sole’s best friend, before she tragically died in an accident. The letter acts as a catalyst for our protagonist to write a list of things she’s afraid of such as swimming, traveling and getting a job, and to start conquering them one by one.
Watching what’s basically a coming-of-age movie where the main protagonist is well into adulthood was refreshing. Too many movies focus on teen struggles and get them resolved in time for their 18th birthday, leaving the viewer convinced that by the time characters reach 25, they’ll have it all together. Life is messier than that, and Jumping from High Places centers on a character who’s pushing 25 and is far from having life figured out.
The film’s portrayal of anxiety is honest and heartfelt. Her journey from a disorganized and anxious mess to the confident young woman we see at the end was endearing to watch. And the love triangle part of the story didn’t take away from the main narrative. This movie wanted to tell the story of a young woman devastated by grief and held back by her own mind.
While the film has many positive attributes, it’s not without fault. As a character, Sole isn’t very likable. It’s hard to understand why the other characters are so drawn to her, which feels a bit unrealistic. She’s selfish, entitled and comes across as very ungrateful. She also breaks the fourth wall one too many times, which becomes distracting after a while.
This latest offering from Netflix is a touching coming-of-age story, if not the most memorable. Sole’s journey to overcoming her anxiety is filled with heartfelt scenes and has some genuinely comedic moments. Yet, you’ll probably forget about it as soon as the credits start rolling.
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