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Reviews:film
MOVIE
Junebug
107 minutes, Liberty Hall
★★★★★
In the tender, indie gem, Junebug, director Phil Morrison presents a quiet portrait of a religious Southern family. And it's a great film.
The film's strength lies in its ability to crisply capture the beauty and tragedy in everyday lives and relationships.
Junebug begins when the eldest and "perfect" son, George returns home (to North Carolina) with his foreign, older and friendly new bride, Madeline. Their homecoming causes the modest and average Southern family to have an emotional upheaval and shed their rigid roles. The patriarch, Eugene, is gentle and meek. He oversees the family's muffled changes with a wise eye. The matriarch, Peg with her staunch morals and never-wrong ideas, rules the house with a stern mouth, which masks a softer side. The most intriguing character is the younger brother,
Johnny. He shows nothing but suppressed rage, due to the jealousy he feels toward George, while his hidden gentleness emerges during the final scenes.
Undoubtedly, the brightest and most delightful character is the pregnant sister in law, Ashley (Amy Adams). She flawlessly portrays a loquacious young bride, full of hope and cheerfulness with heart-breaking accuracy. We learn, however, that her brightness exists to fill the void of her situation (the loss of a good relationship she had shared with the child's father, Johnny. Junebug's charm lies in its attention to the smaller moments, depth of characters and sparse but potent dialogue. The details make the film truly shine the determination to find a screwdriver, the excitement of new marriage and the fear and joy of having a baby.
Junebug is slow to settle into itself and scene-setting shots seem to break the flow of the story. But overall, they do not hinder the film.
Toward the end, Eugene softly speaks of Peg's abrasive personality saying, "She's not like that on the inside. She hides herself...like most." Such simple and sensible dialogue teaches us there are films that don't need an all-star cast to be moving, relatable and wise.
- Amy Adams was awarded the Special Jury Prize in Acting at the Sundance Film Festival.
- Sarah Tucker
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