1/2
Australia 2020
Opening February 17, 2022
Directed by: JJ Winlove
Writing credits: JJ Winlove
Principal actors: Noni Hazlehurst, Claudia Karvan, Stephen Curry
Awakening this particular morning, June (Noni Hazlehurst) is equally baffled, bewildered, and mystified, particularly by frumpy clothes hanging in the drab closet in a strange room. In a care facility, it seems. Determined, June escapes. She quickly realizes, however, nothing is as it should be. June’s home is occupied by strangers; her children are downright hostile to each other. Daughter Ginny (Claudia Karvan) abdicated the family’s wallpaper company for sloppy housewifery, with husband Kyle (Nash Edgerton) sullen in the background. On top of that son Devon (Stephen Curry) is divorced from Tiffany (Chantelle Jamieson), abandoned architecture, yet their son (Otis Dhanji) good-naturedly takes life in stride. A lot has happened in five years.
Grabbing the bull by the horns June charges in steadily issuing commands to put everything right (thus giving audiences insight into her personality). Initially astonished, Ginny and Devon are skeptically mystified, and then resentful as mom, once again, reverts to being meddlesome and bossy; unsurprisingly, they inevitably become obstinate. June somehow intuits this, shifting focus to finding a belonging she cherished above all else – a dresser. Hence, her concern—pestering—turns into a mutually shared quest. But situations, and life, keep throwing curve balls.
Dementia takes an interesting turn in Australian writer-director JJ Winlove’s debut feature film. His screenplay manages to capture the topsy-turvy situation families face between children and parents aging, with the added weight of a debilitating illness; although the unique situation depicted here is rare, it is possible. Bittersweet yet funny, insightful and empathetic, the witty, discordant, and down-to-earth dialogue that this Australian cast wonderfully portray with their pitched and perceptive performances. Noni Hazlehurst’s characterization of June is stunning: her struggling to comprehend as she shifts in-out of lucidity, her wistful recollections and schoolgirl uncertainties, and conceding when out of her depth. Karvan and Curry’s performances add to June, Again’s strong insightfulness. Hugh Miller’s cinematography, Mark Warner’s editing and Christopher Gordon’s music commingle, complement. Sans stereotyping elevates this coming-to-terms film, making it a pleasurable watch, and affirmation to life. 99 minutes (.)