Junebug
Screening on Film
Directed by Phil Morrison.
With Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Adams.
US, 2005, 35mm, color, 106 min.
With Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Adams.
US, 2005, 35mm, color, 106 min.
With beguiling sweetness, Phil Morrison’s leisurely tale of newlyweds George and Madeleine, on a trip to meet his family in North Carolina, moves to the rhythms and rituals of rural Southern life. While Madeleine courts an artist for her outsider art gallery and attempts to ingratiate herself with George’s unresponsive family, George disappears into his old habits, leaving Madeleine, who is woefully unequipped, to fend for herself at church socials and baby showers. Only Amy Adams, as the very-pregnant wife of George’s rageful brother, falls for Madeleine’s urbane style. She delivers her breakout performance with buoyant charm, anchoring the film in her radiant warmth.