Home Movie Reviews ‘Juniper’ Review: A Tough Watch, but a Must-Watch For Charlotte Rampling Fans

Charlotte Rampling gives an excellent performance in this story of regrets, unsaid words, and failed relationships.

Image via Greenwich Entertainment

There are some movies you are simply not prepared for. You could watch a trailer for Juniper, get a sense of what the story is about, but that 2-minute montage could never convey the depths that this drama is willing to dive into in order to convey its message. And even though the movie isn’t attempting to reinvent the wheel – we’ve seen young person/old person bonding stories to boot by now – it finds its own way to tell its beautiful and devastating story.

Juniper tells the story of Sam (George Ferrier), a problematic teenager who comes home from boarding school only to find out that he’ll have to spend the summer with his ailing grandmother while his father is away. Less than eager to start a relationship that he sees as destined to fail, Sam is surprised when he discovers that he shares some similarities with his elder.

Let’s get right to the point and state the obvious: You can’t talk about Juniper without going straight to Charlotte Rampling. There’s nothing that can be said about the Oscar nominee that hasn’t already been stated, but that clearly doesn’t stop the actor from delivering a top-tier performance every single time. Her very first scene is a masterclass in acting: Rampling dominates the screen, and from her opening lines you can get a full sense of who Ruth is, how she sees life, and what she doesn’t tolerate. The scene only gets more powerful when you consider that, after establishing the character as a domineering figure, the story immediately throws her in a vulnerable position which quickly makes you realize how she feels and will continue to feel throughout the movie. It’s the kind of scene that screenwriters ache to be able to put together, and writer/director Matthew J. Saville nails it.

Image Via Greenwich Entertainment

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From that point on, Ruth’s relationship with Sam is one that makes you eager to discover how the movie will develop. As you expect, though, when two people who don’t take crap from anyone go head to head, the situation is bound to get ugly. And it does. Juniper isn’t afraid of digging into the down and dirty of two characters who are at the lowest point in their lives. That means we witness some pretty hard-to-watch moments, like the one with the cup and when Sam goes out into the open field to find a very specific tree.

As the relationship between Sam and Ruth evolves, Juniper also veers away from the hopeful and feel-good vibes from other stories of the type. You do get the sense that they’re getting some sense of enjoyment and have made each other’s lives a little better. However, both are still in a pretty grim headspace, and the quiet and short moments of bliss they have undoubtedly resonates with anyone who’s been depressed but still tries to put one foot in front of the other.

The way that Juniper deals with alcoholism is also pretty different from what you’d expect from a movie. Even though Ruth’s habit of having drinks all day long ends up becoming sort of a bonding element of the lady and her grandson, Saville’s script is careful enough to never romanticize addiction. Like all characters in the movie, we look the other way whenever the jar with gin lands beside Ruth, but it’s always with a dose of concern for her future.

Image via Greenwich Entertainment

Juniper also does a pretty good job of showing how this particular family failed in almost every aspect. Living their lives as practically strangers, they lack the most basic bonds you could form with close relatives, and tragedy only made them drift apart even more. So, whenever a tender gesture is made, you can feel its impact because they are rare and practically inexistent. Which is why the final scene of Juniper is the most impactful and tear-inducing.

Another interesting aspect of Juniper is that even the comic relief feels calculated, but in a good way. It comes in very small doses, usually through the nurse Sarah (Edith Poor). But since the movie never forgets it’s a heavy story, the humor never takes over to the point of making us forget the situation that each character is going through. The only bad part of this is that we don’t get to see much of Poor, who is able to work a little miracle with her brief scenes.

Juniper is a tough watch that constantly reminds us that, for some people, life is a collection of regrets, unsaid words, and failed relationships. It sends the very urgent message that you don’t want to be like Ruth, and that keeping people at arm’s length takes a very heavy toll in the long run. The movie is one of those films that beautifully encapsulates life experiences, but breaks your heart in a way that you don’t immediately want to revisit it.

Rating: A-

Juniper is now playing in theaters.