Junebug

Aroview: An enchanting indie gem about an art-dealer whose pursuit of an 'outsider artist' in backwoods North Carolina prompts various life crises, including the anxiety of meeting her husband’s parents, the sulky brother-in-law, and his pregnant jack-in-a-box girlfriend, played with considerable sprite by Oscar-nominated Amy Adams.

Imbued with moments of tenderness and restraint, dir. Morrison extracts a domestic deadpan from his rural family unit, fashioned in modest hues and austere framing that can just as quickly and abruptly break into unexpected comedy. Embeth Davidtz’s art-dealer - a sleek, worldly urban woman – is the proverbial fish-out-of-water. Paired with gal-pal Adams - a hyperactive Southern Belle enamoured with her new houseguest’s feminine chic - they provide the heart of the film, offsetting rather nicely the muted masculinity of the family’s sedated male characters. Warm, funny, and with the right amount of awkwardness, its charms are both familiar and refreshingly down-to-earth.

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