Juniper

A young women, Mack, retreats to her family cabin in the woods as a way to cope with the lose of her sister. Not wanting to leave her alone, a childhood friend arrives unexpectedly along with another friend. Before they know it, a couple other guests arrive and they all try to be supportive while dealing with their own personal tribulations.

A very well made film that does a fine job at mixing raw emotions with the unexpected humorous moments that can arise in between those raw moments. One of the simplest but most powerful scenes comes when Mack accidentally stumbles upon a picture of her late sister, then runs into the woods to seek solitude and shelter from her pain, but is immediately consoled by her friends while the quiet peacefulness of nature consoles all three of them. The overall feel of the movie is very independent which is refreshing, and the setting compliments that. A great soundtrack by musical artist Layne was also impressive. Perhaps you're more likely to enjoy Juniper if you're an admirer of independent cinema, or if you've lost something or somebody you love.

"The strength of the juniper tree is seen in its capacity to survive in harsh and bare climates, growing out between rocks and surviving in areas with very little water."

This was a very personal and effective film. As a 50 year old cis white dude, I was not expecting to be as moved as I was when I started watching it. Everyone involved knocked it out of the park. The story is simple but managed to capture the reality of this type of situation without overly dramatic and unnecessary filler. Trained on popular media I was waiting for an overdone overwritten confrontation or emotional explosion, but much like real life we don't always have the right words and we hold back and internalize. The Actors are all amazing, but the writing and directing especially need to be called out as the subtle and understated nature of this story defies the expected and shows such restraint and control. Every character had a clearly defined emotional core and purpose that defied stereotypical portrayal. I had an instant impression of each character and there was so much more there, and the film didn't beat the viewer over the head with an exposition stick. Good job everyone, and keeping my eye out for all involved. The kids are alright.