Juniper

Greetings again from the darkness. A tale as old as time. No, this first feature film from writer-director Matthew J Seville is not a new spin on 'Beauty and the Beast', however it is a story that has a familiar feel, and one made more meaningful through terrific acting and expert cinematography. We are engaged through characters rather than plot, and in fact, we grow to care about two of these people after initially finding both a bit abrasive.

Charlotte Rampling stars as Ruth, aging mom to Robert (an underutilized Marton Csokas). The two have never been especially close as Ruth's career as a war photographer allowed her to escape traditional parental duties. With a recent broken leg set in a cast and brace, Ruth finds her wings clipped and Robert senses an opportunity. By moving Ruth into the house during recovery, he can have his son, Sam (George Ferrier), help Nurse Sarah (Edith Poor). Sam is a party boy recently expelled from his boarding school and wants nothing to do with the convalescing grandmother he barely knows.

Dad's ulterior motive gets off to a rough start. Both Ruth and Sam are hard-headed and rebellious. In fact, it's these traits that end up drawing them closer. Ruth seems to survive on her all day gin-binges as her vile vocal spewings are those of a woman whose world has shrunk to the point of feeling captive. Sam is one who doesn't take direction well as he tries to hide his depression and grief driven by the death of his mother. Adding to this mess is Nurse Sarah's consistent attempts to inject some religion into Ruth before the bell tolls.

What we have is self-destruction times two. Ruth and Sam are rude and self-centered, and those shared traits end up thawing the icy relationship and improving their much different circumstances. George Ferrier is a relative newcomer from New Zealand, and he has the looks and on-screen charm to build a nice career. Of course, Charlotte Rampling is in her seventh decade of acting, and she instinctively knows how far she can push this character and still keep us engaged. It's a terrific performance that probably deserved an Oscar nomination. The cinematography of Marty Williams works in the enclosed spaces of the house, as well as the beautiful landscape when the characters head outdoors. Some of the scenes may be a bit too much 'on the nose', but the humor and acting allows for the desired impact.

Opens February 24, 2023.

Matthew J. Saville's "Juniper" is probably not a movie that you'll be able to find easily, but you should try. It's a perceptive look at a teenager (George Ferrier) who has to take care of his grandmother (Charlotte Rampling) when she comes to live with the family in 1992 New Zealand.

Rampling has the perfect face for the role of the ornery grandma. Of course, the movie makes sure to flesh her out enough to understand her behavior, so that the viewer appreciates her more as the movie progresses.

In conclusion, having seen this movie, I hope that Saville continues to make movies. These sorts of movies give one a far deeper appreciation of cinema than do all these movies where Tom Cruise does a bunch of stunts.

A lonely young man struggling with his mother's death is confronted by the visit of his acerbic alcoholic grandmother.

I found this very moving. With very real characters whose lives you can feel right into and performances to match, with George Ferrier looking very good beside veterans Charlotte Rampling and Martin Csokas. I empathised strongly with the protagonist's situation: his grief, his inability to communicate it, his feelings of isolation and hopelessness, and also how the slightest hint of positive attention from someone new, unlike anyone else in your world, can change your whole perspective. A character study with vulnerable honesty and an underplayed depth of feeling.

We've seen this dynamic many times over the years and while the setup is familiar, it's all about how a director handles the material and he does so with grace and charm.

Charlotte Rampling commands the stage as a grandmother who comes home to heal from a leg injury. A drinker and distant from her son Robert who promptly leaves to settle affairs in the UK. She's brutally honest and let's people know she will not be pushed around. But you learn about her slowly over the course of the film and why she is in her ways atm.

She immediately clashes with her angry grandson who was just suspended from school and is cooped up at home with a grandmother he's not met until now. George Ferrier equally matches her fiery performance as the angry youth. Depressed and suicidal, he is Unable to deal with his mothers death, until he receives some well deserved tough love from grandmother. The events play out in a laid back fashion and done with I feel a sense of realism. The topics presented like grief, aging, coming of age feel natural here and there's no stupid comedy section presented for laughs. I could see this going the opposite way if this were an American production for sure with heavy handed speeches and cliched ending.

All around a wholesome film made with heart, a fine watch.

A little gem with a good script and good acting. The star is the great Charlotte Rampling as Ruth the grandmother and young actor George Ferrier is the grandson Sam. Ruth and Sam have some funny interactions and dramatic ones too.

It's the story of an unresolved emotional loss by a father (Robert) and son (Sam) and then the father's mother (Ruth) shows up. Ruth is an alcoholic addicted to gin, which I think gives the movie it's title, juniper berries are the main flavoring in gin.

There have probably been movies with similar plots, but this one set In New Zealand is well acted. A real treat to see Charlotte Rampling in a movie.