Portrait of Jason is a documentary-esque film with only one character, Jason. The man is placed in front of a camera and is asked to tell stories about his life experiences. In a comfortable living room setting, Jason unravels his words in front of us, liquor shot after shot and acting so flamboyant we can't help but want to befriend him. But the "him" is the true weight of the plot as the "him" is undefinable. The film has no one in control, whereas usually a director claims this controlling role. As the film progresses, we start to not only see the characters inside of Jason, but that he is fooling us, so much that a viewer could begin to feel disgust towards this once-admired man. Who is in control now? Is it the actor Jason? The instigators off-camera, feeding him questions and requesting stories? Is it the viewer? The decline of Jason is so evident in this film that anyone can notice its tragedy. Whether we feel pity, anger, or happiness towards Jason, the film clearly depicts something too real and so personal that we often end up questioning our own motives and words. Although sometimes the film is slow, it is captivating and personal nevertheless, and a more than interesting look into the life of a self-defined "Queen" of the late 60s.
