No. 57 (2022) JUNIPER July 19th.

 

Film No. 57 (2022)  July  19th.  6.30 PM   Cinema 5.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"Most people like the Sunset. I like the sunrise." (Ruth talks of yet another example of how she feels different to others).

This oddly named N.Z Production could easily have been titled THE TROUBLE WITH SAM. Writer/Director Matthew Saville tells an intimate story based on his own family experience.  

Part coming of age, part family repatriation drama, JUNIPER lovingly takes us into the mind of a grieving (recent death of his mother) teenager Sam (George Ferrier) as he discovers new, nourishing sides of life when forced to care, part-time, for his estranged grandmother, Ruth (Charlotte Rampling).

While films like MARLEY AND ME presents a life lesson drama more smoothly with four times the budget, JUNIPER lays out a similar, "how great is it to live life to the beat of your own drum and still be loved and cared for?" lesson.

Sam and Ruth form a bond in the beautiful, northern farmlands (Coatesville) of northern New Zealand. And while uneven from a storytelling POV, JUNIPER has us liking the characters. Each scene adds up, eventually, to a unique loyalty they hold for one another. You'll get a warm feeling after the 90 minutes you spend with Sam and Ruth. 8GUMS.  NB There are themes of suicide depicted in JUNIPER.

Of Interest ... How did Writer/Director Saville convince U.K./French dame Rampling to New Zealand?