Curator's Choice Screening: Juno (35mm)

Hettie Judah, Curator of Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood, has programmed a trilogy of films written by Diablo Cody – Juno, Young Adult and Tully – all of which explore parenthood from a female perspective. 

Hettie Judah says:

Whether in comedies or horror movies, mothers in cinema tend to fall into stereotypes – doting, ditzy, bawdy, nagging, neurotic, distant, toxic, unhinged. Portrayals rooted in women's lived experiences are rare indeed. I'm a great admirer of screenwriter Diablo Cody and the way she invites us to engage with complex emotion through sassy dialogue. She is incredibly funny, so her films read, superficially, as comedies, but they are driven by very relatable sadness, anger and frustration…”

 When precocious teen Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page) becomes pregnant, she chooses a failed rock star (Jason Bateman) and his wife (Jennifer Garner) to adopt her unborn child. Things then get more complicated when the prospective father begins viewing Juno as more than just the mother of his future child, putting both his marriage and the adoption in jeopardy. 

 A refreshingly candid coming-of-age comedy for which writer Diablo Cody won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, Juno  addresses teenage pregnancy with great tenderness and subtlety through a smart and unconventional heroine played by Elliot Page.