Manipulation of Subject?
Portrait of Jason documented the interview of a black, homosexual, American man named Jason Holiday. Jason spoke extensively about many aspects of his life, including jobs, relationships, and childhood. In the beginning of the interview, Jason talks about his experience with much confidence, humor, and self-assurance; he laughs jokes about his employers. As the interview progresses, his responses become more emotional and personal, especially when speaking about his parents and directly addressing the interviewer.
Overall, I found the progression of the film unsettling. Showing the persona of Jason be stripped away gradually over the interview until he seemed unstable was effective in eliciting an audience response. The film felt genuine and raw, but questions of ethics, like those posed in Bill Nichols’s book, come into play. With the apparent aid of alcohol, the people offscreen push Jason to discuss more difficult things and to lose his joyful facade. Near the end, when the interviewer becomes accusatory and insulting of Jason, Jason breaks down. The filmmakers manipulate Jason to get the kind of emotional vulnerability that makes the film more impactful. While the contrast between Jason’s early personality and his more distraught state makes his vulnerable moments even more shocking, it is questionable whether the filmmakers’ choice to cause this emotional distress and document it is worth the final product.