From "Miss Congeniality" to "Little Miss Sunshine" to "Drop Dead Gorgeous", the competitive world of beauty pageants has been explored numerous times on film, but one of the best is "Miss Juneteenth," a Southern drama that sees a former beauty queen and single mom prepare her rebellious teenage daughter for a local pageant in Texas.
But where other movies have focused on the silliness and superficiality of the pageant circuit, the 2020 title — which was written and directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples ("Queen Sugar") in her feature film directorial debut — is a thought-provoking, character-driven watch that digs into hefty topics, from racism to motherhood to the meaning of freedom, all guided by two great lead performances by Nicole Beharie and Alexis Chikaeze.
"Miss Juneteenth" is available to stream on Netflix, as part of the streaming service's ever-changing selection of movies and TV shows. And here's why you should celebrate Juneteenth with this moving drama.
What is 'Miss Juneteenth' about?
In "Miss Juneteenth", Nicole Beharie stars as Turquoise Jones, a single mother in a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas. She is the former winner of the local Miss Juneteenth pageant, which offers a full scholarship to a historically black college.
However, her own education was derailed by the birth of her now 15-year-old daughter Kai (Alexis Chikaeze), which forced Turquoise to drop out of college and for a time to work as a stripper.
Seeking a better life for her daughter, Turquoise enters Kai into the same Miss Juneteenth contest, despite the teen girl's lack of enthusiasm for the pageant life and her own personal passions to pursue dance. Mother and daughter simultaneously butt heads but also get closer as they navigate deferred dreams and differing aspirations in this heartfelt multigeneration tale.
Why you should watch 'Miss Juneteenth' on Netflix right now
Along with offering up one of the most believable mother-daughter relationships on screen in recent years, "Miss Juneteenth" paints a vivid, authentic picture of Black life in Fort Worth, Texas. Writer-director Channing Godfrey Peoples personally drew upon her own hometown, her childhood and her life experiences to create the character of Turquoise.
The drama currently has a near-perfect 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's critical consensus reading: "Like a pageant winner walking across the stage, 'Miss Juneteenth' follows a familiar path – but does so with charm and grace."
Nicole Beharie received a Gotham Award for Best Actress and David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter praised the star for the "natural luminosity" and "radiant warmth" she brings to her scenes
Writing for The New York Times, Lovia Gyarkye highlighted film's thoughtful handling of its various themes, "from the significance of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, to the legacy of racism in predatory bank lending practices. But what's most impressive is the amount of space Peoples's black female characters inhabit in the narrative."
This Juneteenth, let the film be a powerful reminder of both the struggles and the enduring spirit of freedom.
Watch "Miss Juneteenth" on Netflix now
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