JUNEBUG

US, 2005, 106 minutes, Colour.
Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, Frank Hoyt Taylor, Scott Wilson, Benjamin Mc Kenzie, Celia Weston, Amy Adams.
Directed by Phil Morrison.

What are we to make of a title like Junebug? Even knowing that it is the chosen name for an unborn child is not a great help either. Let’s just say it’s a tantalising title for what turns out to be a very good film.

Embeth Davidtz is not a household name but she has appeared in many good films including Schindler’s List, Bridget Jones’ Diary and Matilda. Here she plays a sophisticated and elegant gallery curator who falls in love with a charming man from the South (Allesandro Nivola) and accompanies him home while seeking out an eccentric backwoods artist to make a contract. That theme continues during the film with some astute and acerbic comments on the art world and financial wars.

However, the film focuses on the family portrait. They are eccentric and dysfunctional though not exceptionally so. Father is a quiet man, steady, a worker with his hands and an artistic craftsman. He is patience personified. Mother, however, has a lot to say, a biggish and dominating woman who idolises her children and does not welcome a sophisticated Yankee for a daughter –in-law. The younger son is a slacker, working in a garage, trying to do some night studies, resentful of his successful older brother and feeling trapped by his marriage to his high school sweetheart who is now pregnant. Scott Wilson is the father, Celia Weston the mother and Ben Mc Kenzie the son.

The bright spot is the pregnant wife. She survives in the family by being breezily cheerful. And while she thinks she won’t like the visitor, it takes only a few seconds for her to open up (and not shut up) with incessant questions, chatter and affirmation. Amy Adams won a Best Supporting actress nomination and this performance should be an effective calling card for her future career.

The screenplay is continually unpredictable which gives the film added charm and enjoyment. The religious dimension of devout North Carolina folk is respected, especially when the son is invited to sing a hymn at a party to the amazement and even awe of his wife. Family bonds are explored, especially when the wife goes into labour for the birth of Junebug. This sequence and its aftermath are very moving.

Nothing epic about this modest film, but most audiences will not be sorry that they saw it.

1.Small-budget and independent film? Its quality? Portrait of people, ways of life? The blend of the humorous and the serious? Incisive understanding of human nature?

2.The opening, the yodelling, the explanation of yodelling as a way of communication? The theme of the film as communication?

3.The Chicago art world, affluent, stylish, highbrow? The contrast with life in North Carolina, ordinary way of life, families, work? The eccentric artist? The dysfunctional aspects of the North Carolina family?

4.Madeleine, her work, art, her personal style, the encounter with George, the interaction, commentaries, immediate attraction, falling in love, marrying quickly?

5.The journey to North Carolina, the road journey, the interior journey for Madeleine, for George?

6.The agents visiting David Wark? His eccentricity, backwoods, the promises made, the nature of his paintings, the civil war, the phallic symbols? The phone calls? Madeleine deciding to visit? Her journey? Contact with her secretary? Information about the rival agents? Her dealings with the artist, friendship, genial? His eccentric stories? The change of heart, the rivals and the better offer? The importance of doing the deal for Madeleine? Her not going to the hospital, going to talk with him, the price – and the small gift that he asked? Her sense of success?

7.The apprehensions about the trip, George having been away from his family for years, the repercussions?

8.The portrait of the family: the dynamics of the family? The hostility towards Madeleine before she arrived? The friendliness, unfriendliness? The surface? The crises within the family? The experiences of the visit and some transformations?

9.The portrait of Eugene: a quiet man, the dominant wife, the work with his hands, going to the garage, looking for his Philips screwdriver, personal warmth, working at nights? His relationship with his son? The critique of his son? Welcoming George home? Welcoming Madeleine? His being able to sit with her quietly? Reassuring?

10.The contrast with Peg, Madeleine getting her name wrong? Strong, big, loud? Protective? Making all the decisions? Her protectiveness for her sons? The interactions, the end, her weeping, the comfort of her husband?

11.Johnny, callow, sullen, preferring to be with his mates, fixing the cars? His attitude towards his wife, the high school sweetheart, her pregnancy? His drinking? His study course? Jealousy of George? Madeleine and her trying to help with the Huckleberry Finn essay, his misinterpretation of it, advances? His nasty streak? His callousness as regards the pregnancy, the birth of the child? The impact of the death of the child? Ashleigh’s final phone call and his asking about the possibility for another child?

12.Ashleigh, bright and breezy, high school sweetheart, marrying Johnny, at home with the family? Her pregnancy? Her extroversion, initially saying she would hate Madeleine, immediately liking her? Talking, confiding? Sharing things, saving Madeleine after she broke the object? Her experiences, in the south, her delight in life? Going to the hospital? The pathos of the loss of the baby? Her coping, George staying with her, the support of the family? Her resignation, yet optimistic? The final conversation with Johnny on the phone?

13.George, his return, his personal style, the reasons for moving away from his family? Their welcoming him back? His being out and around, meeting old friends? The meals, dining out with the family? The religious background, his singing the hymn? His worry about Ashleigh? The relationship with Madeleine, her being at home in the south or not, their loving relationship? His care for Ashleigh, not wanting Madeleine to go to the artist but to go to the hospital? His staying with Ashleigh, the bond and support? The tensions with Madeleine? The decision to leave, their driving away – and the arm over the shoulder and a reassurance for the future?

14.Madeleine, her style in the south, seeming out of place, saying the wrong thing, getting Peg’s name wrong? Adapting to the south, to the house, to each of the members of the family, her trying to help Johnny with his essay? Listening to the family? Her amazement when George sang the hymn? Her not going to the hospital, wanting the art deal? The aftermath, her feeling ashamed, sitting with Eugene and being supported by him? The drive home, the arm around the shoulder? Hope?

15.The presentation of the dysfunctional family, the family from the south – sympathetic portrait, not patronising, but warts and all? The possibilities of happiness – a form of hope?