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In My Salinger Year, Joanna (Margaret Qualley) is a young aspiring writer who abruptly leaves college and her boyfriend to move to New York and find herself. She ends up taking a job in a literary agency headed up by Sigourney Weaver’s Margaret, who is doing her best Miranda Priestly impression from The Devil Wears Prada, as her assistant who never hires writers (“They make the worst assistants”). The films a genuine adoration for writing along with the cynicism that comes from the writing world, be it critics, publishers or other writers. The child like adulation that Joanna shows for a writer she hasn’t even read yet but getting a chance to slowly pick Jerry’s (J.D Salinger) brain as he slowly comes to like talking to her on the phone as part of his routine is heart warming.
There is a bit of odd editing for a B-plot that includes Daniel, a character played by Colm Feore, who we instantly like but doesn’t have a lot of screen time despite some actions of his being very consequential to the plot later one. There is a nice narrative device where Joanna has to read Salinger’s fan mail and send back a template reply, but the writers, often young people, show up on screen directly addressing the camera as if we are Joanna reading their private thoughts. The coming of age aspect of the film works, as it is normally a genre filled with too many cliches but the film is handled with care by Philippe Falaradeau who previously helmed the Oscar nominated Monsieur Lahzar.
My Salinger Year was seen during the 2020 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival. Thank you to the festival for the press pass. My Salinger Year will be released wide in Canada on October 23, 2020.
