Jackpot, a 50-minute documentary that tracks five regulars of Ontario’s Delta Bingo, is sweet, funny, melancholic, and nostalgic. Bingo halls, which have a small-town, vintage aesthetic that is similar to bowling alleys, feel like a homier incarnation of a casino. This makes for a film that really pops visually, with a minimal, but bright, palette of blues, purples, yellows, pinks and neon lights. The film’s charm comes from the superb selection of subjects, all of which wallow in the simple game as a way out, whether it’s from divorce, deceased companions, or a disability. Margaret, the elderly woman in the picture above, comes to bingo six days of the week, and spends her winnings on more bingo. A moment toward the end when she is shown descending a staircase in her home while saying that she would die without bingo, is cute at first, but grows more tragic when you realize that this is absolutely true. A divorced man who spent many years crying over the absence of his ex-wive and his children found solace in his trips to the bingo hall, and even met his new partner there. Another man, whose wife passed away ten years ago, says, clearly choked up, that his wife would never come to bingo when she was here, and that he just started coming regularly after she passed. Bingo, like slot machines, is pure luck, one of the few games that really is 0% skill, lending another degree of pity to these characters who find so much pride in winning a game that they have no control over. It’s a glimpse of lowered expectations, but also of the simple things that can bring someone happiness. The film could have benefited from looking a bit at the history of bingo, and a look at supposed strategies, as well as the game’s history and development in Canada.