Wow. You've given each other the perfect male fantasy. Sex without emotional attachment.

Fascinating. That's the best description for this film. "Jonathan" is not an easy movie and it excels in monotony. But give this not so action-packed, one location situated film a chance and maybe you'll discover how unparalleled and brilliant this film is. The starting point is actually dead simple. Those who already experienced the concept of living together, know that this only has a chance of success if appropriate agreements are made and complied with. This is to ensure that nobody makes the other's life unnecessarily miserable. which could lead to a breakup. In the case of "Jonathan" (Ansel "Baby Driver" Elgort),it's a bit more complicated. Because the person he lives with is his twin brother John who shares the same body. Aha, this is something like "Split"? No, not entirely. It's less intense and it shows in a realistic way what a split personality is. So no frightening personality changes or "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde " behavior.

First of all, I would like to praise the excellent acting of Ansel Elgort. Even though I realize this isn't so obvious, it seems to be a piece of cake for Elgort to play the two totally different personalities. Jonathan is the more disciplined twin brother. A perfect hairstyle and decent clothing show he's the one who follows the rules. This means he manages his allocated time of the week optimally. He works at a distinguished architectural firm where he does his job perfectly. The cooking and household tasks are done neatly. And he reports conscientiously what he did all day with the aid of the camcorder before he crawls into his bed at an exact time to make room for the other twin brother John.

John is the indifferent one. A relaxed-looking pack rat who doesn't want to live strictly according to the imposed rules. A night owl who enjoys the nightlife where he can meet other people and seduce feminine beauties. He's someone whose video messages never sound too businesslike and who exudes an enormous "Je mon fou" mood. John is the rebellious personality who enjoys life. Until Jonathan gets suspicious (there's this constant feeling of fatigue) and hires a private detective (a brief cameo by Matt "Walking out" Bomer),after which he finds out that John isn't really keeping his end of the bargain. He conceals certain developments and breaks the main rule: no girlfriends. Having sex isn't the problem, but having an emotional bond is out of the question.

"Jonathan" shows the interaction between two good friends. Jealousy and protecting his own territory causes complications and leads to a struggle between two people. In Jonathan's case, it's about an inner struggle. Something everyone has experienced once already. Only such a quarrel isn't so obvious for Jonathan cause physical contact is impossible. What they get, is a war of words with the use of the camera. Or just simply, the absence of any sign of life, such that one of the personalities stays behind helplessly. The only moral support Jonathan has is Dr. Mina Nariman (Patricia "October Gale" Clarkson). She took Jonathan in when he was young and introduced structure in his life. She discovered what was wrong (Single body, multi-consciousness) and separated their lives with the help of a kind of timer.

"Jonathan" is an interesting and fascinating indie-SF. Probably it's a bit boring for some because it mostly takes place at one and the same location. And a large part of the film consists of video recordings of the two persons. But to be honest, it was captivating and I was curious how this unique conflict would end. There was, however, one particular thing I broke my head about. If the surgery which Dr. Nariman performed when Jonathan was 9 years old, went off seemingly hassle-free, why not apply this to all personalities? Wouldn't this be the solution to avoid this unique and complicated situation? Or was Jonathan simply the umpteenth guinea pig? But besides this remark, I thought it was a top notch movie. Definitely recommended for film lovers who love a clever psychological thriller with SF elements in it.

Ansel Elgort is the eponymous young man who lives a meticulously planned life during his day, then wakens to a video diary each morning from whom appears to be his sparkier identical twin. As we progress, however, we discover that these young men are one and the same. Using a mind-control implant devised by his doctor "Mina" (Patricia Clarkson),these two personalities effectively use the body they both possess in shifts. Complete honesty between the brothers is required if their facade is to be maintained, but when the night-time iteration "John" starts to have a relationship with "Elena" (Suki Waterhouse) their relations become a bit strained. They become a great deal more strained when they separate only for daytime "Jonathan" to start having an affair with her too! It's quite an interesting concept this - how might two young men essentially job share their own body? Elgort is proficient, but a bit sterile in his delivery and personally i found the role of the interfering medic too instrumental in creating a tension that appeared for the most part, to be artificially generated. Gradually, the intrigue is supplanted by a rather hum-drum storyline that made less and less sense as it went along. It is watchable, and interesting (and he has a seemingly unlimited supply of quite nice Aran jumpers) but sadly, the opportunity to be truly innovative here has been missed.

Jonathan (Ansel Elgort) is a buttoned up reserved guy. He wakes up at 7am everyday and watches a video of a doppelganger who seems to be a much more relaxed version of himself. He goes to work at an architecture firm and visits Dr. Mina Nariman (Patricia Clarkson) who is treating him for an unknown condition. He always goes to sleep early in the afternoon. One day, he runs into Elena (Suki Waterhouse) on the streets. She claims to know him at night which reveals the shocking truth.

The premise is intriguing and it holds its mystery well for the first act. I was thinking clones or twins. Spoilers, it's not. I actually like the reveal. It's setup for something tense. I want the paranoia. I want the distrust. It gets delivered but not in a satisfying way. So much of this movie is one guy watching the other on video that it drains the intensity out of the flow. I also want real action and tension in the plot. Once the reveal happens, the movie's intensity slowly slides down. I like some of the ideas but this needs more to appeal to a bigger audience.