Director Katherine Dudas’ drama “Juniper” is a powerhouse film, one that thrives on being a wonderful character study and an excellent take on grief. “Juniper” is one of the many films of its kind involving thirty something adults, and a weekend where all the secrets are aired out, but Dudas accomplishes such a great task of making it feel so fresh and new. “Juniper” is that kind of slice of life that really fleshes out its array of characters to suck us in to the situation that our main character finds herself in.
Young Mack wants to get away to her family’s rustic cabin and spiritually connect with her recently deceased sister Natalie. It’s a nice idea…that is, until her Type-A bestie Alex and her offbeat friend Dylan decide to show up too—leading to emotional highs, lows, and all in between.
I was genuinely engrossed in what was unfolding from minute one, from the ace direction right down to the superb collective performances. I say that out of sheer shock because movies like “Juniper” often repel me, but the writing team of Olivia Blue, Madison Lawler, and Dudas help to create such a genuine sense of conflict and repressed emotions. Even when characters are being grossly unlikable, the writers help us to find a reason to relate to their actions, and their ultimate motivations. The cast do a remarkable job in helping to flesh out the general sense of tension with dialogue that often feels like mumblecore. The writing team builds what feels like genuine conversations with dialogue that overlap, and stumble over one another time and time again.
Star Madison Lawlor and co-stars Olivia Blue and Decker Sadowski are stellar in their respective roles playing complete opposites that always find a way to come together when all is said and done. Lawlor as the protagonist Mack is a woman who is facing life after the death of her sister Natalie, and this forces her to reflect on how she’s going to confront her grief and where it’ll ultimately leave her. Friends Alex and Dylan intrude on her weekend with seemingly good intentions, but the more the weekend develops, the more it becomes obvious that neither of them is being completely honest with one another. Even worse, they’re not being completely honest with themselves.
I can’t say enough good things about the trio of co-stars, all of whom build such dazzling chemistry and tension with one another. The sudden introduction of two new characters threatens to derail the central narrative, but thankfully the film keeps pushing through beautifully. Jacob Nichols is particularly great as Alex’s brother Riley, someone who pulls no punches and immediately sees right through Mack’s frustration about Alex and Dylan not quite getting why she’s re-visiting her childhood vacation home. There really isn’t anything negative I can say about “Juniper,” it’s just top drawer character based drama with brilliant performances from the entire cast.
I hope “Juniper” garners a larger release very soon so it can draw a wider audience to discover it, because it deserves it–and so much more.
CINEJOY featuring CINEQUEST Artists is held from March 1st through March 12th.