Junebug - 7

What happens when an there is a new addition to a small town family? This is that story. Madeline, an art dealer from Chicago, marries a man from North Carolina and they travel there for a visit. His family is like every family, quirky, eccentric, with its own unique dynamics. The main event is the sister-in-law, Ashley (played by Amy Adams- nominated for an Oscar in this role), who asks more questions and makes more comments in a minute than are possible to think about in a day. The story doesn't have a particular arc in which you follow it to an ending, rather it is a snap shot of what life in a complex world looks like. Life inevitable runs up against the fact that it is not possible to say all the truth that there is to tell in the limited time that we have, especially in our mobile and scattered relationality with others. Added to this is the fear that telling and knowing the truth might force us to care, to take on resposibility, and to suffer. Given the climax of the story near the end and the stark soundtrack (almost no music is played over the natural sounds you would hear if you were there), make the emotional weight of the film heavy and tangible to the viewer. The film reaffirms that I am human, that I am a part of a world where we all struggle together for coherence, for life and relationships to make sense.