Review of Junebug

Frighteningly Spot-On

Votes

As someone who grew up in a small town and then moved to a big city, I found this movie both very well made and at the same time almost intolerably unnerving. The direction and writing really captures with clear precision the setting and characters. This film is almost a documentary of life in a small rural town with its uneasy awkwardness and tense unhappiness that seems to underly everything. Each member of the family is almost like a mirror to members of my family or people I knew in my small town. The use of silence and long still shots of empty rooms helped flush out the mood of small town life. This is definitely a character piece, but the plot was kept at a good pace and Amy Adams' portrayal of Ashley was magnificent. Lots of visual metaphors and subtle reinforcements of the larger emotions throughout. For example, the story arc of Madeleine and Wark was such an interesting counter arc to Madeleine's initiation into the Johnsten family. A smaller, but nice touch, was the painting of Madeleine's nails, which stayed red until they were back on the highway and leaving it all behind. As I said, this film made me crawl in my skin it was so realistic, but it was an excellent watch.

8/10

Comments

jclements

Posted : 2 years ago at Oct 30 9:52

A great review - will probably see this movie now.

Added by Jeremy C. Ellis 2 years ago on 29 October 2006 09:04