Starring Jerry as Himself (2023) Documentary Review: A Deeply Resonating Fictionalization of a True Story Backed by a Gripping Central Performance

Directed by Lawrence Chen, “Starring Jerry as Himself” is a hybrid documentary that mostly shows a fictionalized version of a true-life narrative. It revolves around Jerry S Hsu, a Chinese-American immigrant in his late sixties, living his twilight years in Orlando, Florida. Recently divorced, he lives a bachelor’s life all by himself. Like any parent who immigrated to a Western land, he entered this country to provide better lives for his children. Throughout his life, he had been frugal to a fault. He spent on his bare necessities without indulging in anything. This is a particularly Asian-father trait, whether you’re from Southern nations or the Eastern ones.

After leading his life for his family’s happiness, Jerry is now a retired man. Still, he is open to helping his children with their needs. Even during their family reunion, he is a kind presence in their lives. However, underneath his calm and composed exterior, he hides something that’s bugging him for a while. Recently, he received a call from some Chinese government officials, who revealed shocking details related to his financial profile. It shakes the foundations of the life he has built over the years. The officers reveal that Jerry’s name is attached to a malicious activity and expect him to follow their orders to remedy the situation rather than let it go out of hand.

Starring Jerry as Himself (2023) — A still from “Starring Jerry as Himself” (2023)

As someone who has built a life piece by piece in a foreign land, Jerry gets scared out of his wits. Why wouldn’t he? He has a lot to lose in this situation besides bearing the burden of impending humiliation. If he doesn’t control this situation, it can go out of hand and might ruin the future of his three sons, who only recently started to find a sense of stability in their lives. Whether intentional or not, his crimes can affect and jeopardize their prospects. So, there is a lot at stake for Jerry.

Based on the real events from Jerry’s life, director Lawrence Chen builds a spy thriller narrative where Jerry becomes an undercover agent for the Chinese police. He operates like any other spy, suspicious of everyone around him, unsure whom to trust. His paranoia deepens due to his growing age and idle mind. After his divorce and retirement, no one depends on him emotionally. They have their own lives and he has the memories of a life he lived in service to them. So, he hopes to do everything in his power not to let them bear the brunt of his actions.

Through his narrative, the film explores themes that, if explained, would spoil the suspense. So, to keep it simple, let’s understand it as a character portrait, where the film excels the most. As a mystery thriller, the film is not as suspenseful and the result is not as shocking if you keep up with the news and are well aware of similar cases. However, the film seldom loses its emotional grip because of Jerry’s magnetic central turn. Among countless examples of people playing versions of themselves, he is one of the most compelling examples.

Jerry is a man of few words, who speaks only required. He isn’t loud, brash, or arrogant despite having achieved things that others may brag about in their later years. Despite being unduly warm-hearted, he never becomes a one-note character in his own story. His compassionate nature raises the overall stakes of his narrative even if you can predict the outcome. In short, we want to know how the film ends because we want to know what happened to him in particular more than the outcome of the investigation in itself.

It is rare to feel this level of emotional attachment for someone that we have known for just about an hour of our lives. Yet, the direction and Jerry’s performance compel us to care for his plight. His performance reminded me of Eli Skorcheva’s impeccable work in Stephan Komandarev’s “Blaga’s Lessons” which also examines a sense of helplessness for someone their age in today’s world. So, while fairly predictable as a mystery thriller, it is a rousing character portrait.