Critics reviews

A portrait of a kid determined to add "positivity" to the world through YouTube videos may sound like pretty grim viewing, especially to the cynical, but  "Jawline" works gently, slowly, presenting its subject and sub-culture with not just affection but sympathy, a sympathy very close to tenderness.

Mandelup makes the larger argument that teenagers are frequently given little autonomy as to how their stories are told, and hopes that this film allows us to connect more tenderly with our own teenage selves. 

No movie this year has made a more powerful argument for unplugging than “Jawline,” a disturbing, darkly hilarious documentary on live-broadcasting influencers. . . . [It’s] A “Grey Gardens” for Generation Z.

While so much of today’s meme culture comes from kids of color, they don’t have the same access to opportunities as Hall, the Jara twins, or even Tester. One documentary can’t be all things to everybody, but this one still feels a little incomplete in its vision of ready-made celebrity. Mandelup does, however, treat both the internet personalities and the fans beholden to them with great respect.

A fascinating look at teen Instagram stars that both heartens and harrows.