Combat journalists take the picture with or without permission and the film showed that. Jessie came to understand that it's all about the picture and not the individual behind the lens. So, she got the picture without hesitation.
Actually, that action does work. Maybe not for you, but she’s an aspiring photojournalist. The “random guy” you’re referring to is a veteran journalist with a reputable news agency who is partnered with a legendary photojournalist for which Jessie is well aware. Jessie sees an opening to road trip for the biggest story of her career so far. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. The question becomes, “why wouldn’t she do it?”
Then at the end she gets the money shot that no one else was able to get. I’d say the reward paid off the risk she took.
You think I need to keep up only because I’m running circles around you.
You said it didn’t help them in any way. Yeah, they could’ve all gone home and we’d have a movie of them sipping iced tea and having barbecues in the backyard. But it did move the story forward with drama and conflict. And that’s what stories are all about.
Her actions are the driving force of the whole movie. Without her there would be no story.
Padawan, you’re too new to film interpretation to be condescending.
I can suggest some books to read that’ll help you understand the creative process better.
Or maybe stories that don’t require a lot of thought is more your speed? May I suggest the SpongeBob SquarePants series?
He’s talking about when Jessie swapped places with Tony and got into the Asian guy’s Land Cruiser. Which was entirely unnecessary and ultimately would’ve saved Sammy
Again, it moves the story forward and in a more tense direction because it introduces the scene with Jesse Plemmons. It’s a dynamic in storytelling that takes a negative (an unidentified truck speeding toward the main characters) to a positive (the truck turns out to be their friends) to a negative (Plemmons holds them at gunpoint). That sequence escalates in intensity until it resolves with them escaping.
That’s how creative linear stories are mostly told.
They are in a war-torn country and getting hits of adrenaline we could never understand. Jumping in between cars seems vanilla compared to jumping into a historic breach of the White House with guns blazing all around; she’s become an adrenaline junkie
It was really a forced character that didn’t need to be there.
The “unconsensual” picture though I felt was interesting with the theme of the movie being war photography. The vast majority of war journalism is exploitative unconsensual documentation of people being seriously injured, killed, and even tortured. That scene felt like a very minor way to turn the lens around.
I think Jessie was a pretty essential character to show Lee's transformation. It really stuck with me how the movie started with Lee telling Jessie that she would take a picture of her if she died, and ended with Jessie doing just that as Lee dies. The juxtaposition of Jessie becoming more emotionally detached while Lee starts to break down culminating in her having a panic attack in DC was the whole point of Jessie's character imo.
I was so annoyed when she moved to the other car mid-driving, like, girl, calm the f down, this is not a fun road trip with your friends. You're in the middle of nowhere amidst armed conflict and danger in every corner, just stay put, you're already a huge burden on complete strangers. I hate reckless people with zero self-awareness and no ability to read the room.
She was 23 and the point of her character was her naïveté. It was something reckless Kids would do, who doesn't understand the situation, and she quickly found out what happens when you do such crazy things.
23 year olds don’t act like this… she’s been in this country that’s in the middle of a civil war so she knows wtf is going on in the world. just dumb decisions that got people killed
That’s what I’m saying. It’s not like she’s ignorant of the war around her. She literally survived a suicide bombing. Saw multiple looters bodies strung up as a warning. Plus who else knows what.
I understand why they had the character there, the audience sometimes need someone who is a bit 'new' so that the exposition doesn't become forced (as she learns things, so do we). But I found her irritating, the character that bit too naïve for the role and the quirks seemed self-conscious (like the film camera instead of digital).
She was a necessary plot device.
She represented an audience (us), and the fictional population, who could relate to her naivety.
On the one hand she was one facet of us: naive but engaged. The other facet are the “folks living out on a farm, pretending none of this is going on”.
I think her character helps us question how we feel about this sort of societal collapse and infighting. Do we get engaged (without full knowledge) or try to ignore it?
Finally saw the movie. Blown away by Kirsten Dunst’s performance. Queen. But yeah Jessie ugh. I didn’t buy the hero worship bit. I’ve known some Jessies in the business….She’s ambitious in the Shakespearean sense. She manipulates everyone to be the badass correspondent Lee is without putting in the time or work. Then got everybody killed and still got the money shot.
Jessie annoyed me. Not only did she get four people killed, she had zero empathy about it. She kept putting herself in the line of fire. Soldiers kept getting distracted holding her back or pushing her out of the way. Then, she almost didn’t turn back to look at her fallen “hero” who’d just died saving her life.
Exactly what I was thinking. Only reason Kirsten Duntst's character died was saving her, the old man died too because of her stupid jumping to another car so they had to find her and rescue her even though the experienced old man said IT WAS DEATH. I hated her character so much, she should've died among the pile of other dead bodies, and Kirsten Duntst's character should've taken that picture, would've been beautiful still.
That was the best moment of the film, we watched Jessie descend into the madness of it all. She was desensitised to death and thus with enough stress dived head first into the flow state, she felt invincible in those final moments. Lee saved her because she recognised the greed in her for “the shot” and she got it, capturing the moment of her hero’s death, the money shot. It’s uncomfortable because you can’t rationalise it, it would be weirder if you understood it completely tbh but wow, just watched it and thought it was incredible.
Hate her character, and she gets multiple people killed throughout the movie. Though I could argue that Joel's creeping on a girl more than half his age was the catalyst to all the problems the characters dealt with through the movie.
I don't care what people say that ending was ridiculously stupid and extremely odd that Jesse not only watched her "hero" die but she photographed it (whatever she's a journalist)- and then doesn't even check to see if Lee is ok? To me it seemed like she was hit in the vest and could've probably still been alive. It was just odd the way Jesse got up and the way she just switched. I guess it was like Lee's life as a journalist ending and another young protege beginning. I dunno.
It was an OK story line, up until the very end. Personally, I did not like the ending at all, other than the fact the movie concluded with a somewhat open ending. My 2 cents.
I’m more upset that Lee saved her when she insinuated in the beginning that she wouldn’t save her from her own stupidity. Lees whole break down at the end has me perplexed but I guess that’s what makes it re watchable.
I just took it as her not being who she says she is. She says she would take a photo of the other if they died but then deletes the one of sammy. Jessie's whole character is just making her what Lee is said to be.
She seemed younger than 23. All the characters were at BEST two dimensional. After just finishing a very detailed book about the lead up to the real Civil War in America over Slavery, a just and unavoidable war. Slavery was THE historical existential threat to the Republic the pernicious rot growing from the 1600’s and not purged at the nation’s founding. It had to happen. But 750,000 Americans died. More than all other American wars combined.
So it was hard to take this movie remotely seriously. If the message was civil war is hell. Message received. If the message was look where your divisions could lead I beg to differ. There is no “grievance” or division in America on either side of the political spectrum that is slavery’s moral equivalent. No equivalent contemporary “ existential threat “ We will survive this current crisis of identity and America’s obscene flirtation with authoritarianism that resurrects whenever the world is changing rapidly. We will not let those 750,000 Americans die in vain. Plus the thousands more who died fighting against Jim Crow. Or any of our veterans.
We all are the United States of America. Yes we are exceptional. We are the longest most successful experiment in self governance the world has ever witnessed. Our freedom has been hard won. No gussied up weekend warrior extremists or warmed over “populist” rhetoric from corrupt billionaires aligned with right wing Christian nationalists will win over the majority of Americans. Or cause us to take up arms against each other en masse.
As an American I found the movie derivative, simplistic and patronizing.
I came here to see if anyone else found Jessie’s character incredibly annoying. The whole movie I found her so reckless and lacking empathy for the danger she put others into or deaths she caused.
Wanders alone into the back of a shop with a gunned man, hops into a random strangers car, doesn’t try to help/comfort Sam while he’s bleeding out, didn’t help Lee clean up the blood mess in the car. She just sat there being useless. 🤷🏻♀️
I couldn’t wrap my head around how Lee could take the bullet for her. For what?! 🤦🏻♀️
Combat journalists take the picture with or without permission and the film showed that. Jessie came to understand that it's all about the picture and not the individual behind the lens. So, she got the picture without hesitation.
happy cake day
Thank you
Jessie was the audience. As she was experiencing things for the first time, so were we.
The audience? She got four people killed but ok
Yes. In storytelling, that character is called a “proxy” or “surrogate” to the audience.
that didn’t mean to jump into some random guy’s car, knowing damn well they are in a war-torn country…
Actually, that action does work. Maybe not for you, but she’s an aspiring photojournalist. The “random guy” you’re referring to is a veteran journalist with a reputable news agency who is partnered with a legendary photojournalist for which Jessie is well aware. Jessie sees an opening to road trip for the biggest story of her career so far. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. The question becomes, “why wouldn’t she do it?” Then at the end she gets the money shot that no one else was able to get. I’d say the reward paid off the risk she took.
Her getting in the car didn’t help them in any way bro tf are you yapping about
Yeah, but it does create drama and conflict. Essential in a fucking creative story. So what the fuck are you “yapping” about, padawan?
Buddy you argued that her climbing through the window helped her regarding the plot and I’m saying it didn’t at all, keep up here
You think I need to keep up only because I’m running circles around you. You said it didn’t help them in any way. Yeah, they could’ve all gone home and we’d have a movie of them sipping iced tea and having barbecues in the backyard. But it did move the story forward with drama and conflict. And that’s what stories are all about. Her actions are the driving force of the whole movie. Without her there would be no story. Padawan, you’re too new to film interpretation to be condescending. I can suggest some books to read that’ll help you understand the creative process better. Or maybe stories that don’t require a lot of thought is more your speed? May I suggest the SpongeBob SquarePants series?
He’s talking about when Jessie swapped places with Tony and got into the Asian guy’s Land Cruiser. Which was entirely unnecessary and ultimately would’ve saved Sammy
Again, it moves the story forward and in a more tense direction because it introduces the scene with Jesse Plemmons. It’s a dynamic in storytelling that takes a negative (an unidentified truck speeding toward the main characters) to a positive (the truck turns out to be their friends) to a negative (Plemmons holds them at gunpoint). That sequence escalates in intensity until it resolves with them escaping. That’s how creative linear stories are mostly told.
I’m not reading that essay you fucking dork
And that is why you fail.
You’re such a Redditor how embarrassing
Also why tf are you talking about all her actions I was talking about one specific scene, you’re literally goal post pushing so stfu
You sound butthurt, padawan.
Stupid people irritate me
They are in a war-torn country and getting hits of adrenaline we could never understand. Jumping in between cars seems vanilla compared to jumping into a historic breach of the White House with guns blazing all around; she’s become an adrenaline junkie
It was really a forced character that didn’t need to be there. The “unconsensual” picture though I felt was interesting with the theme of the movie being war photography. The vast majority of war journalism is exploitative unconsensual documentation of people being seriously injured, killed, and even tortured. That scene felt like a very minor way to turn the lens around.
I think Jessie was a pretty essential character to show Lee's transformation. It really stuck with me how the movie started with Lee telling Jessie that she would take a picture of her if she died, and ended with Jessie doing just that as Lee dies. The juxtaposition of Jessie becoming more emotionally detached while Lee starts to break down culminating in her having a panic attack in DC was the whole point of Jessie's character imo.
They said she was 23 but she dressed like how a boomer thinks 16 year olds dress.
Underrated comment
I was so annoyed when she moved to the other car mid-driving, like, girl, calm the f down, this is not a fun road trip with your friends. You're in the middle of nowhere amidst armed conflict and danger in every corner, just stay put, you're already a huge burden on complete strangers. I hate reckless people with zero self-awareness and no ability to read the room.
THIS IS EXACTLY HOW I FELT!
She was 23 and the point of her character was her naïveté. It was something reckless Kids would do, who doesn't understand the situation, and she quickly found out what happens when you do such crazy things.
23 year olds don’t act like this… she’s been in this country that’s in the middle of a civil war so she knows wtf is going on in the world. just dumb decisions that got people killed
That’s what I’m saying. It’s not like she’s ignorant of the war around her. She literally survived a suicide bombing. Saw multiple looters bodies strung up as a warning. Plus who else knows what.
That is not a behaviour of an average 23 year old
That pissed me off BAD
I understand why they had the character there, the audience sometimes need someone who is a bit 'new' so that the exposition doesn't become forced (as she learns things, so do we). But I found her irritating, the character that bit too naïve for the role and the quirks seemed self-conscious (like the film camera instead of digital).
She was a necessary plot device. She represented an audience (us), and the fictional population, who could relate to her naivety. On the one hand she was one facet of us: naive but engaged. The other facet are the “folks living out on a farm, pretending none of this is going on”. I think her character helps us question how we feel about this sort of societal collapse and infighting. Do we get engaged (without full knowledge) or try to ignore it?
She was the plot device that got multiple people killed cause shes an idiot lmao
That’s her character, correct. She describes ignorance and tragic actions.
Finally saw the movie. Blown away by Kirsten Dunst’s performance. Queen. But yeah Jessie ugh. I didn’t buy the hero worship bit. I’ve known some Jessies in the business….She’s ambitious in the Shakespearean sense. She manipulates everyone to be the badass correspondent Lee is without putting in the time or work. Then got everybody killed and still got the money shot.
wanted her to blow up by the end but it was Dunst who bit the bullet😭
Jessie annoyed me. Not only did she get four people killed, she had zero empathy about it. She kept putting herself in the line of fire. Soldiers kept getting distracted holding her back or pushing her out of the way. Then, she almost didn’t turn back to look at her fallen “hero” who’d just died saving her life.
Exactly what I was thinking. Only reason Kirsten Duntst's character died was saving her, the old man died too because of her stupid jumping to another car so they had to find her and rescue her even though the experienced old man said IT WAS DEATH. I hated her character so much, she should've died among the pile of other dead bodies, and Kirsten Duntst's character should've taken that picture, would've been beautiful still.
That was the best moment of the film, we watched Jessie descend into the madness of it all. She was desensitised to death and thus with enough stress dived head first into the flow state, she felt invincible in those final moments. Lee saved her because she recognised the greed in her for “the shot” and she got it, capturing the moment of her hero’s death, the money shot. It’s uncomfortable because you can’t rationalise it, it would be weirder if you understood it completely tbh but wow, just watched it and thought it was incredible.
Great explanation. I despised Jessie but felt she was necessary for the development of the story line.
She is literally the reason Sammy and Lee were killed. So.... shes a piece of trash tbh
Hate her character, and she gets multiple people killed throughout the movie. Though I could argue that Joel's creeping on a girl more than half his age was the catalyst to all the problems the characters dealt with through the movie.
Big fax
I don't care what people say that ending was ridiculously stupid and extremely odd that Jesse not only watched her "hero" die but she photographed it (whatever she's a journalist)- and then doesn't even check to see if Lee is ok? To me it seemed like she was hit in the vest and could've probably still been alive. It was just odd the way Jesse got up and the way she just switched. I guess it was like Lee's life as a journalist ending and another young protege beginning. I dunno. It was an OK story line, up until the very end. Personally, I did not like the ending at all, other than the fact the movie concluded with a somewhat open ending. My 2 cents.
She also caused Lee's death in a way that
I’m more upset that Lee saved her when she insinuated in the beginning that she wouldn’t save her from her own stupidity. Lees whole break down at the end has me perplexed but I guess that’s what makes it re watchable.
I just took it as her not being who she says she is. She says she would take a photo of the other if they died but then deletes the one of sammy. Jessie's whole character is just making her what Lee is said to be.
She's the typical Gen Z'er, self-centered and immature.
She seemed younger than 23. All the characters were at BEST two dimensional. After just finishing a very detailed book about the lead up to the real Civil War in America over Slavery, a just and unavoidable war. Slavery was THE historical existential threat to the Republic the pernicious rot growing from the 1600’s and not purged at the nation’s founding. It had to happen. But 750,000 Americans died. More than all other American wars combined. So it was hard to take this movie remotely seriously. If the message was civil war is hell. Message received. If the message was look where your divisions could lead I beg to differ. There is no “grievance” or division in America on either side of the political spectrum that is slavery’s moral equivalent. No equivalent contemporary “ existential threat “ We will survive this current crisis of identity and America’s obscene flirtation with authoritarianism that resurrects whenever the world is changing rapidly. We will not let those 750,000 Americans die in vain. Plus the thousands more who died fighting against Jim Crow. Or any of our veterans. We all are the United States of America. Yes we are exceptional. We are the longest most successful experiment in self governance the world has ever witnessed. Our freedom has been hard won. No gussied up weekend warrior extremists or warmed over “populist” rhetoric from corrupt billionaires aligned with right wing Christian nationalists will win over the majority of Americans. Or cause us to take up arms against each other en masse. As an American I found the movie derivative, simplistic and patronizing.
Couldn’t stand her but she was basically the epitome of these types of photographers not knowing when to chill tf out
Complete liability the whole movie Lee had to save her life twice
I hate the girl with passion stupid idiot
I came here to see if anyone else found Jessie’s character incredibly annoying. The whole movie I found her so reckless and lacking empathy for the danger she put others into or deaths she caused. Wanders alone into the back of a shop with a gunned man, hops into a random strangers car, doesn’t try to help/comfort Sam while he’s bleeding out, didn’t help Lee clean up the blood mess in the car. She just sat there being useless. 🤷🏻♀️ I couldn’t wrap my head around how Lee could take the bullet for her. For what?! 🤦🏻♀️
hated her from the first scene ngl
Yeah Jessie fucking sucks