Junebug

Phil Morrison, 2005

I can't quite put my finger on why I loved this film so much, and maybe that's the point. It is subtle; in its grasp on human emotions, its script, storyline, character background and plot progression. Nothing is over the top, but neither is it slow and calculated. The film just works in the portrayal of family bonds and the emotional tensions that exist within these. To describe it as 'upper class art buyer marries lower class man and meets his family' (the plot line at its barest) is to detract completely from what the film is really about. It is an unobtrusive view of family life and how introducing change can both aggravate and lessen the strains it encompasses.

Amy Adams stood out in particular as the ever-optimistic, heavily pregnant wife to brooding Ben Mckenzie. Her performance was endearing; even when at times she could definitely be seen as irritating there was a sweetness about her enthusiasm and love for others that makes her one and only display of grief towards the final moments of the film so much more heartfelt. Understated brilliance that speaks volumes.