Examining the role of family

Few films truly exemplify life in 'small town' America, and very seldom do films do the miraculous task of showing the thin line between city folk and small town folk. Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown" tried hard to master this feat, but ultimately was lost in a sea of incoherent plots and sappy, melodramatic songs. Enter "Junebug," an indie sleeper from 2005 that works not only as a wonderful character study, but also a fascinating and complex examination of small town life, clashing with big city social politics.\nEmbeth Davidtz ("Schindler's List") stars as Madeline, a successful art dealer with British charm and a knack for seeking out bizarre modern art for her bourgeois Chicago art gallery. When Madeline discovers a radical small time artist in a rural North Carolina town, coincidently close to her husband George's (Allesandro Nivola) family home and birth place, the two newly weds decide to drive down South and meet the family.\nWhile this 'meet the parents' premise appears to be the focus of the film at first, with Madeline being the apparent star, "Junebug" slowly unfolds as a sophisticated look at a broken family reconnecting with their eldest son and learning to cope with their own internal issues. \nMadeline is greeted with loving arms by the sister-in-law Ashley (a wonderfully moving Amy Adams,) scoffed at by George's depressed brother Johnny ("O.C's" Benjamin McKenzie,) and is quietly shunned by the mother Peg (Celia Weston). Tensions eventually arise and we watch as Madeline desperately tries to fit in but fails because of her own selfishness and utter disinterest for the meaning of the word family. \nThe film's DVD is bare-boned, featuring some fairly mundane deleted scenes, a semi interesting 'making of' featurette and a commentary track from selected cast members and Morrison. \n"Junebug" is quiet and slow film featuring a wonderful script, unique cinematography, and stellar performances, especially from Adams, who devours her role as the innocent, hopeful and naïve Ashley. The film is a brilliant character study that explores and questions the complex responsibilities of a family in small town America.