‘Miss Juneteenth’ Paints an Impactful Tale of Phenomenal Women Onscreen and Off

Miss Juneteenth film poster. 

Strangled, crushed dreams are often the reality of American life, especially Black American life. They can work forever and ever and still not accomplish what they most desire. 

In a time of too many redundant Hollywood remakes and revisits, Miss Juneteenth is a satisfying original story desperately needed in all the theaters right now. It combines the beauty pageant arena and the history of June 19th— the day the last remaining slaves in Texas were set free years later— in a sweet, hearty serving, a unique structural setup weaving its way into a fascinating contemporary story about love, hardship, and triumph. 

Turquoise (Nicole Beharie) and Ronnie (Kendrick Sampson) are an estranged couple coming back and forth tied by history, mostly their fourteen-going-on-fifteen-year-old daughter, Kai. 

Turquoise Jones, a former Miss Juneteenth beauty queen, is surrounded by failure. The hardworking former stripper manages Wayman’s BBQ, a bar/restaurant and is in/out of a complicated marriage with Ronnie, a car mechanic still chasing the unattainable like a fly trying to catch honey. Yet residual hope lie in Kai, their fourteen-year-old daughter— the testament of moving along her own inner inhibitions. As history repeats itself in a downward spiral, it is also a heavy burden to pressure a new generation into something most unwanted. 

Kai Marie Jones (Alexis Chikaeze) has big dreams of her own.

Kai, fixated by the exciting world of dance, is reluctant to follow in Turquoise’s footsteps. She faces her mother’s disapproval full on— disapproval of dancing and boyfriends (Turquoise rightly housing bad associations for both). The push and pull dynamic between Turquoise and Kai is a strong bond more loving and perhaps healthier than Turquoise and Pastor Charlotte, her sanctimonious, part-time alcoholic mother. There are charged moments that almost trigger Turquoise’s compulsive frustration like Charlotte. Turquoise is able to refrain and channel through calmly and rationally, concentrating only on the pageant, determined to break the generational cycle. 

Turquoise (Nicole Beharie) giving makeup and confidence boosting to Kai (Alexis Chikaeze). 

Turquoise often reflects on the day that should have started her life far away from Charlotte. In that cherished memory, she is a young, beautiful Miss Juneteenth winner, pageant waving in a soft yellow dress and the sparkling tiara. Unfortunately, she could not escape the tragedy that befalls Black girls— teen pregnancy and the severest fall from grace narrative. Black teen moms do not get the MTV coverage or news outlet media that celebrates them. Black teen moms can suffer in silence, working harder to provide for their families, doing things they never would have to in order to survive. Although she and Ronnie were in the early honeymoon phase of love then (and still trying to salvage something), early motherhood put college on the shelf. 

Many people encounter Turquoise in town, speaking on her squandered potential. 

Yet Turquoise sees Kai only as a blessing, the most important part of herself and she will do anything in her power to ensure that her daughter does not repeat certain mistakes. In Kai’s boyfriend, Turquoise sees Ronnie and in dancing, her old days as a stripper fresh after winning a beauty pageant.  

Miss Juneteenth pageant contestant Kai (Alexis Chikaeze) at the center of it all— in a significant yellow dress. 

Channing Godfrey Peoples’ impressive debut illustrates the validity of Black girls, their range and glory, their eclectic talents, their very existence with Maya Angelou’s famous poem, “Phenomenal Woman,” providing a commendable backbone. This brilliant script devises the perfect way to bring Turquoise and Kai together, glueing their family unit further together. Other positive women relationships include Turquoise and Betty Ray— her lovely, humorous co-worker and even pageant head, Mrs. Washington, Turquoise’s former mentor whose disappointment overshadows any lasting genuine affection. Turquoise cares for Charlotte, she takes steps back, always placing Kai ahead of anything else. Although pageant culture itself sets up the same faults as the ones absent of true inclusivity, between choosing the right silverware, correcting posture, straightening kinky hair, and cattiness of other girls and their parents/guardians/mentors, the pleasing factor is that the winner receives a full ride to a any Historical Black College/University of her choosing. 

Cast surrounded by writer/director: Nicole Beharie (Turquoise), director Channing Godfrey Peoples, Kendrick Sampson (Ronnie), and Alexis Chikaeze (Kai).

Miss Juneteenth leads by the multifaceted Nicole Beharie (American Violet, Shame, and 42). Her layered complexity as a past beauty queen and sacrificial mother overcoming an ugly past is rendered with raw ferocity and tenderness that only a gifted actress could inhibit. With hopefully more nominations and trophies to come, the long overdue Beharie has already won the Gotham Independent Award for Best Actress against current awards season favorite Frances McDormand. If not, it does not matter— her performance was a highlight in a turbulent year and that is enough for most. 

Texas born newcomer Alexis Chikaeze in her first major film role delivers astounding promise as the illustrious Kai Marie Jones— “Queen of Everything.” Her exquisitely crafted chemistry with Beharie makes the film all the more authentic and beautiful as though these two Black women were meant to partner together and create a believable mother/daughter dynamic. Meanwhile, Kendrick Sampson, having shown impressive range in How to Get Away With Murder and Insecure holds his own as a down-on-his-luck father grasping tightly onto his own bright, simple dreams that continue slipping through his hands, failing over and over to keep his family afloat as everyone in town ridicules him behind his back. He in himself is a familiar, heartbreaking tragedy played well by Sampson. 

Turquoise (Nicole Beharie) telling Kai (Alexis Chikaeze) the good news. 

It is great to see a film that takes passing the Bechdel Test to phenomenal heights and cinematography that lights Black characters with a purpose beyond just looking good. The warm, saturated color scheme coordinates alongside Rachel Dainer-Best’s costume design, Emily Rice’s music selection, Courtney Ware’s editing, Olivia Peebles’ production design, and of course Peoples at the forefront of a mostly phenomenal women crew. 

Miss Juneteenth is worth watching again and again, especially with close girlfriends and teenage girls seeking validation tied to an imperative history lesson. They may say “winning is not everything,” but sometimes while claiming or losing the victory prize, an even better, unexpected treasure comes instead.  

Directed By Women Films To Watch During MLK Jr. Weekend

Scene from Sophia Nahli Allison’s award-winning A Love Song for Latasha.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the unofficial pre-kick off before Black History Month takes over February. Films such as Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Four Little Girls, or Do The Right Thing or classics To Kill A Mockingbird and The Long Walk Home are always ranked high as the best watches for this weekend. Nowadays offensive titles like The Help and The Green Book are being added to the equation. 

Other suggestions focus heavily on the Black male point of view, on justice for Black men. 

Who better to highlight the Black girls and women’s own campaigns for fairness, for humanity than a Black woman behind the lens? Although Ava DuVernay’s Oscar winning Martin Luther King Jr. biopic Selma and Regina King’s One Night in Miami are primarily focused on Black male point of view, DuVernay and King are able to deliver nuanced perspectives thanks to their incredible direction of talented ensemble casts. 

Here are solid films (including a few tearjerkers) directed by Black women that either depict true historical moments with poignant touches of fiction, bringing light to figures advocating justice or those strangely simmering in the complicated thick of finding themselves drawn to both good and bad sides of societal life. These chosen works grapple with King Jr.’s themes in creative albeit challenging manifestations: benevolence, strength, grace, humility, and growth exploring our past, present, and future in a prejudiced world still saturated in pure, undying hatred. 

Selma film poster.

1. Selma directed by Ava DuVernay, 2014 (also When They See Us and 13th) 

Down on the Delta film poster.

2. Down on the Delta directed by Maya Angelou, 1998 

One Night in Miami film poster.

3. One Night in Miami directed by Regina King, 2020

Miss Juneteenth film poster.

4. Miss Juneteenth directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples, 2020

Clemency film poster. 

5. Clemency directed by Chinonye Chukwu, 2019

Ruby Bridges film poster.

6. Ruby Bridges directed by Euzhan Palcy, 1998

Night Catches Us film poster.

7. Night Catches Us directed by Tanya Hamilton, 2010 

The Rosa Parks Story DVD cover. 

8. The Rosa Parks Story directed by Julie Dash, 2002

A Love Song for Latasha film poster.

9. A Love Song For Latasha directed by Sophia Nahli Allison, 2019

Happy Birthday, Issa Rae: Fem Film Rogue Icon Spotlight

 

On this day, a superstar was born at the right time to a Senegalese doctor father and a teacher mother, Jo-Issa Rae Diop known to the world as simply Issa Rae, a humorous actress, talented writer/producer/creator/New York Times Bestselling author, and avid supporter of Black voices. 

Rae, a Stanford grad took a huge bite of American pie, taking on the web with the terrific series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. TMABG was a fresh, relatable view at the other side of Black girl life in a hilarious, vivid arena that television could not touch most likely due to its star and storytelling being unapologetically Black during a moment where such crucial stories were not always told by Black voices, let alone starred monoracial Black women. The big plus was the natural hair movement too— that a dark-skinned J had her big chop and didn’t look back. Essentially, J’s positive mirror reflections would soon migrate into award-winning television. 

Yes. Yes.

Years later, HBO granted Rae the reins to co-create Insecure, another vehicle to showcase her unique characters to a larger audience, showcasing the pitfalls of Black women who still did not have themselves completely together even after turning thirty. They did not have to have it all figured out, let alone be Black women stereotypes. Yet just like in TMABG, female friendships were essential, a glue that was either stuck together or unevenly lopsided much as seen between Issa/Molly. 

In addition to making sure that Black women were watching shows with them first in mind, Rae was producing other talented artists, ushering them into a back door ala Issa Rae Presents, a YouTube platform that features incredible short films like Inamorata and web series like First and the Emmy winning Giants. 

Nominated four times for a Primetime Emmy including for Best Comedy Series and two time (hopefully three) Golden Globe, this BET Award, four time Black Reel, NAMIC, and Satellite Award winner has made many wonderful things happen onscreen and off. On the big screen, Rae has starred in films: Little, The Hate U Give, The Photograph, and The Lovebirds. 

Coming next for Issa Rae is Vengeance, a horror/mystery thriller written by B.J. Novak and a comedy titled Empress of Serenity co-starring Bill Hader. Her Issa Rae Productions will be producing Seen & Heard, a two part documentary on the history of Black television. 

Great moments have happened due partly to Issa Rae’s growing influence— after all, she has defined a whole new vibe. Her vibrant creativity and sweet nod to Black pop culture shows love and respect to those before her while propping up those coming after her. She has inspired up and coming creators to believe in themselves, to acknowledge their respective upbringings, and share unique stories to the forefront. She is not only an innovator, she is a phenomenal leader bringing multitudes of Blackness into a gratifying, fun, hilarious future that we deserve to see. 

Some of Issa Rae’s most memorable quotes include: 

“I’m rooting for everybody Black.” 

“For a long time ... I defined myself by what I wasn’t, which constantly set me up for failure and disappointment. And, my life changed when I focused on what I was good at, what I liked most about myself and what made me stand out.”— from her 2017 Black Girls Rock speech

“It's a bit cliche, but you can't go wrong by writing what you know. Even if you're a horrible writer, your own knowledge and experience is unrivaled. Nobody knows what you know like you know what you know. The way you see things is pretty unique.”

“The black characters on TV are the sidekicks, or they're insignificant. You could put all the black sidekicks on one show, and it would be the most boring, one-dimensional show ever. Even look at the black women on 'Community' and 'Parks and Recreation' - they are the archetype of the large black women on television. Snide and sassy.”