When Turquoise Johnson (Nicole Beharie, American Violet and 42) won her Miss Juneteenth title as a high school student, hope and prosperity seemed around the corner.
So why is it umpteen years later she’s a single mom, working the bar at Wayman’s BBQ & Lounge, trying to raise her teenage daughter Kai (Alexis Chikaeze) and still messing around with her baby-daddy Ronnie (Kendrick Sampson, The Vampire Diaries and How to Get Away with Murder), a player who’s constantly one step away from jail?
As Turquoise works at Wayman’s lounge, she hears words that remind her of her dilemma: “I will never get over seeing Miss Juneteenth cleaning toilets.”
As a USC film grad who has been mentored by director Charles Burnett (To Sleep with Anger, Killer of Sheep), viewers can see her reverence for Burnett’s penchant for telling simple stories in the most sparse ways.
Certainly, Channing Godfrey Peoples has created a film about second chances that will make viewers eager to see if this young strong-minded woman prevails.
