Miss Juneteenth (2020) Movie Review
Miss Juneteenth is the first feature film from writer and director Channing Godfrey Peoples. Young mother Turquoise Jones (Nicole Beharie) is the main focus of the movie. She has a plethora of jobs. We see her working at a BBQ joint and doing makeup for corpses at a funeral home. She is constantly working to make ends meet for her and her fifteen year-old daughter, Kai (Alexis Chikaeze). She has high hopes for Kai, enrolling her in a pageant called Miss Juneteenth that awards scholarship money for college. It’s clear that Kai does not have the slightest interest in the pageant. Instead, she wants to join the dance team.
As it turns out, Turquoise has an intimate connection with the Miss Juneteenth pageant having been crowned Miss Juneteenth in 2004. It’s easy to suss out why she didn’t go to the college of her dreams: she became a mother instead. This adds a bit of pressure onto Kai who doesn’t understand why her mother so fervently wants her to compete in the pageant. Kai’s father Ronnie (Kendrick Sampson) flits in and out of the picture throughout the movie. He never seems to offer stability for Turquoise or Kai and their on again, off again relationship persists throughout much of the movie. We also see glimpses of Turquoise’s mother (Lori Hayes) who is an alcoholic. You get the sense that everything was stacked against Turquoise before she could even walk.
What makes Miss Juneteenth so memorable is the performance from Beharie. Her face is painted with all of life’s disappointments and she goes from tired to fiery with the snap of a finger. She is the heart of the story and you want to root for her. Turquoise keeps fighting and persisting despite all of the setbacks and despite all of the hardships. She has ambition and she doesn’t want anything to hold her back.
Miss Juneteenth also presents the universal theme of wanting something better for your children than what you had. Turquoise desperately wants Kai to have the opportunities that she didn’t. This is reflected in her constant preachings about doing well in school and staying away from boys. Sometimes in movies, being a mom can overshadow the individual. It becomes all about the kids and what kind of mother the character is. Godfrey Peoples avoids this pitfall by giving Turquoise an identity outside of being a mother. We see her hopes and dreams for her daughter, but we also see her ambition for herself. At one point in the movie Turquoise mutters, “I just want something for myself.” A feeling that everyone, especially mothers, can relate to.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You want to watch an impactful mother/daughter story
2. You want to see an incredible performance from Nicole Beharie
3. You like movies that are slow-moving but full of insights about life
