Junebug

Rating = A-

I am surprised at the rating I am giving to the movie. My attention never wandered as I watched it (my first criterion for a successful movie), but it seemed awfully sterile because of its lack of a musical sound track and because almost all the shots were from a static camera and sometimes quite long. However, in the days since I saw the movie, I have thought about it (my second and last criterion for a successful movie) many times. It is a story of the interactions between a worldly, passionate couple from Chicago and “god fearing,” mostly-hide-your-emotions people in a small town in North Carolina. The man in the couple was from this small town, the couple is primarily visiting his family, and he tends to revert to kind now that he is (unwillingly) back home. The woman in the couple tries to be accepting of her in-laws but, with one ebullient exception, they find her strange and are unwelcoming. [You may want to stop reading here.]

In the end, the couple escapes back to Chicago, knowing a little bit more about each other and before their relationship can be seriously damaged.

[2005-09-19]