Review: Miss Juneteenth
In many ways, Miss Juneteenth, doesn’t fit into the family drama genre ‘box’ it might be shoved into. With her debut feature film, Channing Godfrey Peoples, tells this story with affection oozing out of every frame. The film follows Turquoise - a young, single mom working multiple jobs and struggling to support herself and her teenage daughter. When the Miss Juneteenth pageant rolls around, she’s anxious for her daughter, Kai, to enter and possibly win like she did when she was her age. With a scholarship as the prize, the pageant represents opportunity and hope, but Kai is less than enthused. She’s more interested in practicing her dance moves for her school’s team tryouts.
The central mother-daughter relationship is relatable - they fight and disagree and make up, but their interactions are never overplayed or dripping with melodrama. An unforgettable Nicole Bahari makes subtle choices in her performance as Turquoise that conveys deep longings for her daughter that never spill out in dramatic shouting matches or fits of rage. But she has a lot to be angry about. She works tirelessly but rarely sees the fruit of her hard work. Her on again off again relationship with Kai’s father is full of empty promises and disappointments. Her condescending, hyper-religious mother only offers glib advice and not real help. It’s a reality she’s desperate to help her daughter avoid at all costs.
And yet, the film pulses with hope. Turquoise might be beat down but she’s never broken. She’s cast aside but she never crumbles. She wants what any mother wants for her daughter: to not have to fight to survive.