We’ve all heard the black woman motto around this clusterfuck of a world that needs fixing: “Fine, I’ll do it.” But what of the black woman who is tired of doing it? When does she get to rest? When does she get to escape? When does she get to just ... be?
Cue Netflix, with the new Alfre Woodard-led film, Juanita. The popular streaming platform’s press release describes the plot as follows:
Fed up with her life, Juanita leaves her grown kids behind and hits the road in search of a fresh start.
The film stars Woodard (as Juanita), Adam Beach, Gil Birmingham, Ashlie Atkinson, and Blair Underwood. Juanita is directed by Clark Johnson, written by Roderick M. Spencer, and produced by Stephanie Allain Bray, Mel Jones, and Jason Berman.
We’ve recently seen Woodard join the Netflix family with Marvel’s Luke Cage. Now, she’s delving into the network’s original film sector as the star—because she is a star. A legendary one, at that.
The trailer introduces Juanita, the unfulfilled black mother (with grown kids!) who occasionally fantasizes about Blair Underwood. As you do.
“There’s got to be something out there for me,” Juanita states right before she heads to Butte, Montana. The state is home to 7 Indian reservations, which becomes integral to her storyline. Speaking of which, shoutout to the diversity of Netflix Film. We have a black woman (with agency) whose love interest is an indigenous man.
This film looks hilarious. A breath of fresh air. Much like the titular character, we need a damn escape.
Juanita debuts on March 8, exclusively on Netflix.