WFF Film Review - Little Jar (2022)

The 22^nd Whistler Film Festival kicks off in person tomorrow, November 30 until December 4, and then online until January 2. I got the chance to see a really sweet film called Little Jar set at the beginning of the pandemic. The story follows Ainsley, a self-proclaimed loner who doesn’t really like people and hasn’t had any real friendships before. She is overjoyed that she gets to work from home and ultimately avoid people. She doesn’t like the office banter amongst coworkers in the kitchen and has to deal with an overbearing manager. So the opportunity to work at home during the lockdown seems like a dream come true.

As the pandemic persists Ainsley slowly comes to realize that being home alone isn’t as fun as she’d expected. Several hurdles come up that leave her even more isolated and disconnected from the outside world. The only person she has any contact with now is the grocery store delivery guy. Boredom and loneliness start to set in and in a fury of cleaning she comes across a little jar she used to collect trinkets as a child and discovers (creates) a little friend. This little jar reveals so much about how she became the person she is today. Her new little friendship seems like a good idea in the beginning but eventually gets in the way of making a real connection with someone who is also feeling the loneliness and isolation the pandemic and lockdown has caused.

I’m sure many of us can see ourselves in Ainsley and her coping strategies for loneliness. The pandemic and initial lockdown was incredibly trying for so many people and it surely took a toll on our mental health. Little Jar is a really heartwarming film, an ode to those of us who persevered through the pandemic at home alone and especially those of us who longed for human connection.

Little Jar premieres at the Whistler Film Festival December 2 and 3 and then will be available to stream online.

Tickets and info at www.whistlerfilmfestival.com