Letting Go of Jack (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

Brandon (Larson Kapitan) travels cross country, looking for something, and hoping to forget a past that is now marred by tragedy. Letting Go of Jack sees a young man, attempting to isolate himself from the rest of the world, forced to connect with strangers and face his demons. 

The string instruments that help to first introduce us to Brandon and the journey of isolation that he’s embarking on touched me. I felt something in the moment that those sounds came in and grew more powerful. It mirrors Brandon’s apparent lament of something from his past,  but it also ushers in a sense of strength and encouragement that, in that moment, I hoped would transcend the rest of Letting Go of Jack. 

Letting Go of Jack is a film that is incredibly human, but none of the intended emotion reached me–becoming more stale as the film progresses. I blame this issue on the actors, as the dialogue often feels organic, capable of accurately representing the real world. However, there’s a strong disconnect, and it stems from the actors’ inability to present emotions in a way that resonates with viewers. 

This film is predictable; and that’s not always a bad thing. I’m not upset with the fact that I knew what was going on in Brandon’s head before he ever comes clean. There are moments in the script that felt a bit inorganic, too predictable, or even far-fetched–but I felt that the overall narrative was human in a way that allows viewers to connect with it. Letting Go of Jack is honest regarding human emotion–and that aforementioned predictability plays an important role in that. We effectively know how Brandon and Amber (Meghen Antonia) will develop by the end of the film–but that’s because Writer-Director Andrew Koltuniuk has created a screenplay that mirrors the real world and pulls pieces from other sources in a way that simply works. 

While the predictability doesn’t bother me, the final fifteen minutes oversteps in this regard, ultimately becoming redundant. It bounces back and forth between the daytime revelations and the nighttime struggles–presenting viewers with nearly identical visuals each and every time. By the conclusion of Letting Go of Jack I found myself stuck in something of a timeloop, struggling to get out. The film becomes far too repetitive by its conclusion, and it lost me here. I needed some variation, but Koltuniuk is unable to provide that as the film inches closer to a conclusion.

Letting Go of Jack is a film that has to be emotionally accessible, that has to appeal to viewers and create a visceral response in each of them in order to work. Unfortunately, the film isn’t quite able to accomplish this. While it seems that the script likely possessed levels of emotion meant to be communicated to viewers, the actors tasked with bringing those emotions to life don’t currently possess the ability to convey all that was needed. It’s always possible that the film’s direction hindered the actors’ ability to find success–but I’m not entirely sure that I believe the blame falls on him. I effectively yearned for more emotion, but Letting Go of Jack lacks in this department; there wasn’t enough to allow viewers to connect with either of the film’s leads–and much of the film falls flat as a result. 

The film is bookended by the gorgeous sound of string instruments, and the opening sequence provides promise for what is to come. Unfortunately, Letting Go of Jack doesn’t live up to the expectations that it set for itself. It’s incapable of reaching viewers on an emotional level, and that effectively hinders the film in its entirety. 

Written & Directed by Andrew Koltuniuk. 

Starring Larson Kapitan, Meghen Antonia, Matthew Smaldone, Ketrick “Jazz” Copeland, Paul Bonner, etc. 

5.5/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED