Starring Jerry as Himself – An Immersive Docu-Hybrid Film

Some documentaries have captivated audiences from around the world. They possess a unique artistry rooted so deeply in local themes that they become universally resonant. Through a precise, almost surgical approach, these works cut through layers of superficial detail to reveal the core of humanity’s deepest suffering and existence. When director Law Chen decided to make a film about Taiwanese immigrant Jerry Hsu, who also happened to be his friend’s father, it was no coincidence that the result culminated in a semi-spy thriller, but also a carefully structured analysis of the immigrant situation and the vulnerability of the elderly population, not just in America but all over the world.

Hsu stars as himself in (and also co-writes) the docu-fiction hybrid Starring Jerry as Himself, re-enacting scenes from the global scam he’s been a part of, using his family and his son’s friend as his co-conspirators and partners in artistic crime. It’s difficult to describe the plot of this documentary without peeling away the fleshy parts that make it an intricate web of Russian doll after Russian doll. It’s one box inside the other, and even if the viewer can tell from the beginning what the story is really about, it is still impactful when all is revealed. 

The story could’ve taken an entirely different route, a horrifying tale that seems eerily and gloomily similar to the 2020‘s I Care a Lot and with a more lighthearted tone similar to this year’s Thelma, if not for Chen’s creative direction, the shift towards Geriatric scam films that have become a modern day hit solely due to the grim fact that the world has been exposed to them since the COVID pandemic of the early 2020s; no one knows what to do with their elders. Producer Jonathan Hsu’s family is no exception. The growing elderly population around the world are becoming an increasing strain on the rest of the population, especially with the economy taking a big hit and young people investing more in their personal and professional lives, leaving their parents and grandparents vulnerable to all kinds of scams. 

Starring Jerry as Himself is not a simple cautionary tale, it’s an immersive experience. Chen uses all the tricks up his directorial sleeve; anamorphic lenses, handheld cameras, fade in and out to showcase a shift in narrative, or a disconnection between fiction and reality. What elevates the game is how Jerry Hsu himself is a great actor. He’s a natural and his body language and poise in front of the camera resemble a professional actor and not simply the subject of a documentary. He makes Chen’s job easier, elevating the film with such a supra persona, an identity above his real identity, and one that takes his performance to places otherwise untrodden by even more veteran actors. 

Under Chen’s direction, Jerry invites viewers to a game of cat and mouse where suspension of reality is the key to allowing the understanding to exist. An unbelievable espionage story hides beneath it a heartbreaking tale of a vulnerable elderly conned out of his life savings, afraid for his life and the future he desperately worked to save for his sons. Along the ride are his quirky, funny ex-wife Kathy (Kathy Hsu) and his sons trying to find comfort in their own skin.

As far as documentaries go, Starring Jerry as Himself is the least traditional slice-of-life story anyone can imagine. But with a director as capable and creative as Chen, highly influenced by the work of Wong Kar-wai and true icons of Hong Kong crime cinema, truth and reality clash while blurring the line between fact and fiction.

Stay tuned for our interview with director Law Chen and producer Jonathan Hsu tomorrow.

still courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment

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Jaylan Salah Salman

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