Sunshine Cleaning

The only thing that really plagues this film is the title. Proper, professional reviewers have already said it. I still like to imagine the board room meeting where someone from 'film marketing' sits down with all the actual moviemakers and says:

"Hey, I've an idea, let's market this film as though it's
the new Little Miss Sunshine, you know, indie break-through hit that's
funny and touching, and based in Arizona/New Mexico and shows the emptiness of
the landscape and real, human stories."

Everyone else says, "No, that's a really stupid idea". Yet somehow, marketing exec person managed it. (I'm predicting it'll turn out that this film was written way before LMS and these comments will be proved useless)

Alan Arkin is a joy, but plays pretty much the same character he always plays. An older figure, somewhat comical, oft-ignored, but displaying some inner streak of compassion that shines through at the odd moment. Still, I'm a big fan of his and I'd be happy just watching him performing every day tasks with his trademark dry, frustrated delivery and twinkling eyes. I think my favourite line of the film came from him:

"Who wants to share a combination platter with me?"

But dismiss the Alan Arkin Little Miss Sunshine shtick for a moment, and one's left with a film that's touching, that really stands well on its own two feet, and shows off the talents of Adams and Blunt admirably. They're sisters trying to make good against poverty, exes, feeling trapped in their lives and the unbearable heaviness of day-to-day life. As school mates have married money and jump through the usual hoops of childbirth and purchasing that second car, Adams is a single mum just trying to make ends meet. She hits upon a scheme - crime scene clean-up - which pays well and is fairly exclusive, and ropes in her lazy, hapless sister (Blunt) to help carry soiled mattresses and gag at the stench of the homes of the deceased.

Amy Adams is infinitely watchable, while her chemistry with Emily Blunt is a bold attempt at sororal relations on screen and it seems to work. The soundtrack is ideal, it's a well put-together and well-told story, and enjoyable and touching in equal parts.

Perhaps the best bit? It manages, in time-honoured indie tradition, to shirk the obvious closure so often sought in (particularly) North American cinema, and instead provides a great ending that leaves the viewer hopeful, but also open to the future, as Adams herself is by the close of the film. Excellent choice of finality, and a bold move, especially if Sunshine Cleaning is supposed to be a "break-through hit".

I look forward to the DVD release!

***
2009

Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack

Dir. Christine Jeffs