This film is like a breath of fresh air amid Hollywood’s bombardment of films nowadays driven mainly by stunning visual effects and thin plots. Junebug, by Phil Morrison, is a simple story that merely relies on a pregnant story line, multi-dimensional characters, quirky humour, what is not said in stead of what is said, and the tragedies of everyday life. Madeleine (played by Embeth Davidtz) is an art gallery owner who meets and falls in love with a younger man, George, at an art exhibition and they impulsively decide to get married a week later. After six months of marriage, Madeleine discovers a retarded, self-taught painter in North-Carolina, who she wishes to represent. Since he lives only thirty minutes away from George’s family, it is a golden opportunity to both pursue the painter and introduce Madeleine to his family. Madeleine goes to meet his family with an open mind and an open heart, but as the film progresses, a lot is revealed about George and his off-beat family. She has to deal with his mother Peg, a matriarch who does not believe she is good enough for George, his docile, introverted father Eugene, his resentful and rude brother Johnny, and Johnny’s highly pregnant, infantile wife Ashley (played by Amy Adams).
When the viewer first meets George’s household, one already casts judgment on his “hillbilly” family: Peg and Eugene seem to have drifted apart over their years of marriage. She seems obsessed with keeping the house clean, even though communication between them seems rusted and full of cobwebs. She is a firefighter, whose domineering personality seems to have silenced and disconnected Eugene altogether. Eugene often appears pathetic and unassertive. George’s brother, Johnny, is antagonistic from the start. He does not welcome George’s visit. He packs boxes for a living and still needs to complete his high school equivalency certificate. He and his pregnant wife still live with his parents. Ashley has a very naïve outlook on the world and is mesmerised by brainy Madeleine’s sophisticated elegance and success.
As time goes by, more is revealed about each character, however, and they become more endearing to the viewer. Ashley’s chattiness seems quite overwhelming at first and she appears like a childish airhead. But the viewer learns that she is actually very well intentioned and has a very big heart. Amy Adams gives a wonderful performance and it is easy to see why she has won and been nominated for so many awards for this role.
SPOILER WARNING: Peg and Eugene have a disconnected relationship and he does not seem to be there for her when she grieves about Ashley losing the baby. Yet, at the end of the film, he gives her a present he made especially for her – a wood-carved bird. He loves her the best way he knows how. Johnny has a lot of issues, but it is quite evident that he is jealous of George. There has to be a lot of family history that preceded his resentment of George. It seems that George is the golden boy of the family who cannot do anything wrong. It appears that Johnny does not love Ashley because he treats her like one would not even treat a dog, but there is a scene in the film where he tries to videotape a documentary about Meerkats for her, because it is her favourite animal. He would not have tried to videotape it, if he did not care for her at all. SPOILERS END HERE.
Madeleine, together with the viewer, comes to learn more and more about George as well. He is not without fault, reflected in the scene where he resents Madeleine for choosing to pursue the painter while Ashley goes into labour. Should she have gone with him? Has he any right to expect of her to have stayed? No issue is merely black and white; there are many shades of grey in between – just like the people in the film. They are not entirely bad or entirely good, they are human.
It is shocking how some of these characters interact with one another. But they love each other the best way they know how. Oprah always says, “when you know better, you do better”. This film made me think a lot about relationships. How is it possible that people drift so far apart? There must have been a time when the couples were madly in love with one another. It is sad how easily people become disconnected and regress into not communicating about issues. Madeleine and George are at that stage where they do not know each others’ shadowy side yet. They have a vibrant and energetic sex-life and are blindly in love, but one has to wonder: how long will this last? Did they know enough of each other before they got married? Is the basis of their relationship strong enough to withstand the intrusions of everyday life? One can only hope.
Genre: Comedy-Drama
Running time: 106 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Phil Morrison
Writing credits: Angus MacLachlan
Producers: Mike Ryan
Mindy Goldberg
Music: Yo La Tengo
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics
Main Cast:
Madeleine – Embeth Davidtz
Ashley – Ahsley Adams
George Johnsten – Alessandro Nivola
Peg Johnsten – Celia Weston
Eugene Johnsten – Scott Wilson
Johnny Johnsten – Benjamin McKenzie David Wark – Frank Hoyt Taylor
