MISS JUNETEENTH
US, 2020, 99 minutes, Colour.
Nicole Beharie, Alexis Chikaeze, Kendrick Sampson, Lori Hayes, Marcus M Mauldin, Liz Mikel.
Directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples.
A prospective audience looking at the title for this film might think it is a misprint. But it is not.
Fortunately, the explanation comes early in the film – and quite an interesting explanation, important for African-Americans? and their history, the ending of slavery, slaves in Texas, their getting the application of the abolition of slavery two years late, June 19th 1865. And, in Texas, a commemorative celebration, especially with a pageant, a beauty pageant for the teenage girls at school, their aspiring to be Queen of the pageant, wearing the crown, Miss Juneteenth.
This is very much an African-American? story (only a few small roles for white actors). It will certainly appeal to its target audience and, one hopes, will be seen by the wider American audience. For audiences beyond the United States, it is something of a curiosity item, a reminder of American slavery and abolition, and the situation of the African-American? communities in contemporary Texas towns.
It is also a film about mother-daughter relationships and, this is one of its great strengths. Turquoise (Nicole Beharie a strong screen presence) was Miss Juneteenth 15 years earlier (but she still has the crown and the pageant dress in her wardrobe). She has a number of jobs, an assistant manager at a diner, cleaning the toilets, serving customers… And she has skills in cosmetic preparation of the deceased at the local funeral home. Her life is not quite what she imagined.
However, her whole attention is given to her daughter, Kai (Alexis Chikaeze Wrenn, about to turn 15. As we might expect, Turquoise gives all her attention to Kai, preparations for the pageant, saving for a dress, paying the deposit, the text of the poem that she recited and hopes her daughter will recite. There is a husband in the background, Ronnie, whom she loves, but is unreliable, comes and goes, not a great financial support, getting himself in trouble with the law.
Kai is a genial young girl who loves her mother but, as with girls that age, clashes with her mother’s expectations and discipline. However, she prepares very seriously for the competition.
The narrative consists mainly of episodes, Turquoise and Ronnie and their love and their clashes, the attentions of the manager of the funeral parlour, Turquoise looking disapprovingly at Kai’s friends and Kai and her rap and dancing, and relying on her phone, the manager of the diner having a heart attack, visits to the hospital, a social to raise money for his hospital expenses…
And, there are scenes of the Juneteenth celebration, processions and floats in the street, the rehearsals for the competition (and Turquoise unable to pay for Kai’s dress) and the performance of the contestants, Kai wrapping and dancing rather than reading the poem – and her mother’s acceptance.
And, fortunately, an ending, not quite what we were anticipating, but happily upbeat.
1. The title? The explanation? Texas? The freedom of the slaves? Two years late? June 19 1865? The commemoration, the pageant?
2. The town, homes, the diner, garages, church, school, auditions, the parade, the pageant and rehearsals, performance? The atmosphere? The range of songs?
3. An African- American story? For the African American audience? The broad American audience? International audiences?
4. The focus on Turquoise, her memories of being crowned Miss Juneteenth, her dress and crown, keeping the crown, the dress in the cupboard? Her age, at the diner, cleaning the toilets, working with the customers, with Wayman, with the staff? The audience discovering that she had a daughter, Kai, turning 15, her ambitions for Kai for the pageant? Training her, picking up the dress, getting the money, the deposit? The parliament and the recitation? Her relationship with Ronnie, the marriage, his being present and absent, going to the garage for the repairs, his visiting the house, parking up the street, her relationship with him? Her working with the funeral home, make up, the manager and his hopes, his later taking her to the function for Wayman, the horse, Ronnie and his anger?
5. Kai, her age, at school, relationship with her mother, accepting the presence and absence of her father, the modern girl, hair and clothes, phone, her mother being strict? Her reactions, but the reconciliation? The preparation for the pageant? Her hopes? The dress, the poem? Mother disapproving of her friendship with the boy – and his later reappearance at the pageant, playing the music for her performance? Her having to go to the rehearsal in her shorts? The resolution, her mother’s dress?
6. The visit to the church, the leader of song in the church, the discussions about the pageant? About the scholarship? The visit to turquoise’s mother, no bonding?
7. Ronnie going fishing, the alligator, prison, the fine, unreliable with the money?
8. Wayman, his heart attack, everybody at the hospital, the celebration to raise money for him? His coming out of hospital, Turquoise and her situation, his giving her the deeds to the diner?
9. The rehearsal, Turquoise embarrassed, Kai in shorts? The pageant in the streets, the floats? The night of the competition, the girls and their dresses, each girl and her particular performance, Kai not reading the poem, doing the dancing and the rap, on what it is to be a woman? Her mother’s reaction, accepting it, the applause? Kai not getting a place? Mother and daughter reconciled?
10. A film about mothers and daughters? A film about American pageants and the effect of the competition? A film about memories of the African- American past, slavery and freedom?
