Juniper

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.

It's a relationship drama set in New Zealand in the mid-1990s. It follows a troubled teenager still reeling from his mother's death from cancer and alienated from his father and grandmother.

Sam Stevenson (George Ferrier) is a teenage boy placed in a boarding school by his father, Robert (Marton Csokas), soon after the death of Sam's mother. Sam feels abandoned and has acted out his frustration in various ways. Robert brings Sam home from school when Robert's mother, Ruth (Charlotte Rampling), comes from England to recuperate from a fall and a slow-healing broken leg. Ruth was a famed wartime photographer but has alienated her son and grandson for years. Nurse Sarah (Edith Poor) accompanies Ruth to New Zealand. Sarah, a devout Catholic, hopes to save Ruth from her heavy drinking (a bottle of gin daily) and alienating personality.

The film follows Sam's relationship with his grandmother, especially when Robert leaves for England to look after some of his wealthy mother's estate issues. We learn more about Sam's trauma around his mother's death and the reasons for Ruth's alienation from her only son. We also understand the real reason Ruth came to New Zealand.

"Juniper," which gets its name from a key ingredient in gin, is a film about life and death and the healing of family relationships. It is not maudlin and features excellent performances by Ferrier and Rampling. A few scenes stretch credulity, including the logistics of managing Ruth's last decision. A white horse plays a crucial role in the story. In sum, "Juniper" is an outstanding film.

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 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.

My Review- Juniper My Rating. 7.5 /10

I found Juniper a very moving film but a little emotionally triggering by that I mean basically it "pressed my buttons." in parts.

I must admit I dozed off a little first viewing not because I was bored but just tiredness so I watched it again and I'm glad I did.

This interesting 2021 movie from New Zealand written and directed by Matthew J Saville is what I call a slow burner but by the conclusion I had definitely warmed to it .

The subjects that crop up in Juniper are confronting they include family alcoholism, grief, assisted dying, teenage suicide and parent child communication breakdown .

It's certainly not a musical comedy ,although come to think of it I have seen all those subjects portrayed in the modern musical theatre of today.

Sam ( George Ferrier) the teenage son of Robert (Martin Csokas ) on returning home from boarding school after a self-destructive spree prompted by his mothers death discovers his gin-soaked grandmother Ruth has moved in.

Ruth played by the wonderful actress (Charlotte Rampling) once had a lust for life . A former War photographer now old age , excessive alcohol abuse and her disappointment with life has turned her into a very bitter woman in a wheelchair approaching the finality of her life.

Sam is really a chip off his Grandmother's block and after an initial awkward and violent introduction a battle of wills ensues which eventually thaws out both of these strong and determined individuals resulting eventually in acceptance and reconciliation for all the family members including Sam's absentee Dad Robert played by Marton Csokas.

The two standout performances in Juniper are George Ferrier as Sam and of course Charlotte Rampling as Ruth and this film is worth watching just for them.

Charlotte Rampling said she found the semi autobiographical script by Matthew Saville "just very very compelling." Her first husband was a Kiwi and although not particularly wanting to leave her home in Saint-Germain Paris to travel across the world to New Zealand she said the story " came to her across the page" George Ferrier as Sam I think will be an interesting actor to watch I haven't seen the series "One of us is Lying "that he appears in 4 episodes of but I will look it up after seeing his passionate and sensitive performance as Sam in Juniper this 21 year old actor should receive plenty of role offers after Juniper.

Juniper is a quiet slow burner of a movie I recommend it for movie lovers who enjoy complex characters and films that aren't afraid to deal with sensitive subjects and a great Directorial debut feature film for Matthew Saville.