Ever go down a rabbit hole looking for a piece of media that feels like it barely exists? Honestly, that’s exactly what happens when you start digging into Just Out of Reach Jonathan Wald. If you’re a news junkie, the name Jonathan Wald probably rings a bell because of his massive career at NBC and CNN. But we’re not talking about the guy who ran The Today Show.
We’re talking about a three-minute, 16mm student film from 1998. It’s a tiny fragment of queer cinema history that almost slipped through the cracks.
What Really Happened with Just Out of Reach?
Back in the late 90s, Jonathan Wald (the filmmaker, not the news executive) was a student at the UCLA Film School. He wasn't making blockbusters; he was making art. Just Out of Reach Jonathan Wald was a finalist in the Independent Film Channel’s (IFC) National Student Shorts Competition.
The plot is incredibly sparse, which is kinda the point. It’s a four-minute snapshot. Two men. A sunrise. One tries to sneak out after a one-night stand. That’s it. But in those four minutes, Wald captured a specific kind of urban loneliness that resonated enough to land the film in over 160 festivals worldwide.
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The Two Jonathan Walds Problem
Google can be a mess when two people share a name. You’ve probably seen the "other" Jonathan Wald—the one who executive produced NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and recently appeared on panels discussing the future of journalism in 2025 and 2026.
But the Jonathan Wald who directed Just Out of Reach took a much different path. He ended up in Australia, becoming a fixture in the Sydney theatre scene and teaching at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).
- The Filmmaker: UCLA grad, Fulbright scholar, short film specialist.
- The Film: 16mm, black and white, shot in 1998.
- The Legacy: It appeared in the Male Gaze: Celluloid Dreams collection.
Why Just Out of Reach Jonathan Wald Still Matters
You might wonder why a three-minute student film from decades ago even shows up in search results today. It’s because it was part of a specific wave of "New Queer Cinema" that prioritized mood over heavy-handed messaging. It didn't try to be a manifesto. It just wanted to show a guy trying to find his shoes in the dark.
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The film's longevity is mostly thanks to NQV Media and various DVD collections like The Male Gaze. These distributors kept the short alive for a niche audience of cinephiles and LGBTQ+ historians.
Basically, it’s a masterclass in economy. How do you tell a whole story about intimacy and regret before the coffee is even done brewing? Wald did it with almost no budget and a 16mm camera.
Where Can You Actually Find It?
If you’re looking to watch Just Out of Reach Jonathan Wald, you aren't going to find it on Netflix. It’s a bit of a hunt. It lives on Vimeo via NQV Media and occasionally pops up on Amazon’s short film selections in Europe (specifically Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de).
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The director himself eventually moved into much longer works, like the 30-minute drama What Grown-Ups Know, but for many, the 1998 short remains his most "pure" work. It’s raw. It’s grainy. It feels like 1998 in a way that modern 4K digital cameras just can't replicate.
Actionable Insights for Cinephiles
If you're researching this specific film or filmmaker, here is the reality of the situation:
- Check the Credits: Always verify if you are looking at the journalist (NBC/CNN) or the filmmaker (UCLA/Sydney). They are frequently conflated in online bios.
- Look for Compilations: Searching for the film title alone often fails. Search for "The Male Gaze: Celluloid Dreams" to find the digital or physical distribution.
- Study the Format: For film students, this is a prime example of how to use 16mm film to create atmosphere with minimal dialogue.
- Explore the Australia Connection: Much of Wald's later work and teaching materials are hosted through Australian institutions like AFTRS or NIDA.
The film is a reminder that "success" in the arts isn't always about a billion-dollar box office. Sometimes, it’s about making a three-minute movie that people are still searching for nearly thirty years later.