Juanita (2019)

Fed up with her deadbeat grown kids and marginal urban existence, Juanita takes a Greyhound bus to Paper Moon, Montana where she reinvents herself and finds her mojo.

Director:

Clark Johnson

Writers:

Roderick M. Spencer (screenplay), Sheila Williams (book)

Stars:

Alfre Woodard, Bonnie Johnson, Jordan Nia Elizabeth

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alfre Woodard	...	Juanita
Bonnie Johnson	...	Ms. Berman
Jordan Nia Elizabeth	...	Bertie
Acorye' White	...	Rashawn
Blair Underwood	...	Blair Underwood
Michael Jones Sr.	...	Man on Bus Bench
Marcus Henderson	...	Randy
LaTanya Richardson Jackson	...	Kay-Rita
Anthony Matheson	...	Conga Drummer
Katie Killacky	...	Ticket Seller
Taborah Johnson	...	Passenger
Brian K. Landis	...	Bus Driver
Ashlie Atkinson	...	Peaches
Lindsley Register	...	Candice
Donald 'Spec' Campen Jr.	...	Old Guy (as Donald 'Spec' Campen)

Storyline

Fed up with her deadbeat grown kids and marginal urban existence, Juanita takes a Greyhound bus to Paper Moon, Montana where she reinvents herself and finds her mojo.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 March 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Χουανίτα

Filming Locations:

Petersburg, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Homegrown Pictures, Mandalay Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All of the scenes set on Ohio and Montana were actually filmed in Virginia.

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Quotes

Peaches: Juanita, I gotta ask you something. Why did you get on that bus in the first place?
Juanita: 'Cause if I'd have stayed, I'd end up hating the people I'm supposed to love.

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Soundtracks

The One
Performed by Leven Kall
Written by Leven Kall and Taylor Mackall
Courtesy of Masterphonic

User Reviews

Great movie!

There are a lot of bad reviews of this movie. I have no idea why because I loved it. I would normally not watch a movie like this, but there was a frankness in the faces in the preview that appealed to me. Juanita is an amazing actress. I thought everyone was well cast. There was an edginess to all the characters that added a lot of sparkle to the film.

It dealt with some very complex issues that need to be spoken about: Single mothers, why young men go to prison, PTSD, parenting, getting stuck in a dead end jobs, American Indians and their diminishing culture. I mean these are huge topics, and they were dealt with very compassionately. But it wasn't preachy. It is basically mid life crisis tied to a love story.

I teared up a couple of times, and it takes a darn good movie to make me do that. Don't miss this one.