Movie: June Again
Cinema: The Rivoli Camberwell
Stars: 4
Jay and I took in a movie tonight as we were both at a loose end. And seeing the pickings are slim at the moment, we decided on some Australian fare, that being a little known film called June Again, starring Noni Hazelhurst, Claudia Karvan and Stephen Curry.
The plot is pretty standard. June (Hazelhurst) has been in a nursing home for five years. She's barely verbal and not living a great life being cared for by the well-meaning staff of a well-appointed nursing home. A turn in the night has her returning to her former self, with her former spark.
In the five years she's been locked away, a lot has changed. Her daughter GInny(Karvan) has been trying to run the family business. Her son, Devon (Curry) is a bit of a wastrel basket case. During a fleeting bout of lucidity from her dementia, June has precious little time to bring together her estranged children, save the family business, and rekindle an old flame.
Other than lucidity like this when you are at this stage of dementia (according to Jay) being very far fetched, this is a gem of a film. Noni Hazelhurst is priceless as the plucky, strong-willed, rather crafty June,
Being surrounded by friends with aging parents, it was rather precient in showing the toll that dementia can have on the family.
There are some wonderfully funny bits to the film - in particular when she meets David (Darren Gilshenan) the odious factory manager who is in charge of her old business.
But it is also a touching testament to love, and family and the loss which this awful condition can have on a family. By the end of the film I was in tears as the inevitable conclusion came.
I won't say much more than that, but as Australian fare, it was great to see and for anybody with aging, ailing parents, I'd recommend it - you'll see some of your own family in this quiet gem of a film.
Just take tissues.
I really liked this.
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