Jucy

Director: Louise Alston
Writer: Stephen Vagg
Cast: Francesca Gasteen, Cindy Nelson, Ryan Johnson, Damien Freeleagus, Nelle Lee
Theatrical Release Date:
On The Web Film Website IMDB Entry

Synopsis: Jackie (Cindy Nelson) and Lucy (Francesca Gasteen) are two twentysomething best friends who’ve made an art of not doing much. They’re so inseparable that they’ve earned the collective moniker “Jucy.” Working together in an alternative video store, they smoke pot, play video games and actively encourage each other’s eccentricities and often delusional world view.

Hectored mercilessly by their families for their various failings and the perceived negative impact that their relationship is having on each other, the pair sets out to prove that they are capable of living grown-up lives. Determined to defend their friendship and widen their world, the girls participate in a local theater company’s updated version of Jane Eyre, a pursuit that inevitably draws new players into "Jucy"’s sphere and threatens everything the girls hold dear, including their bond.

Confident and unconventional in its depiction of female relationships, "Jucy" is expansive in tone, moving from the zany details of the everyday into a nuanced and dramatic portrayal of a friendship at a crossroads. Buoyed by the impressive comedic skills of Gasteen and Nelson, "Jucy" navigates the field between laughter and tears with energy and grace.

One of the film’s many fine features is its deft observance of the undertones and attenuations of female communication, so rarely depicted in mainstream cinema. Director Louise Alston captures the unique spirit of these relationships, invoking the tremendous power of commitment that can exist between women friends. Gasteen and Nelson bring such a wonderful credibility to the roles that every female viewer is bound to see at least some of herself reflected in the characters.

Wonderfully realized by Alston and screenwriter Stephen Vagg, the husband-and-wife team that brought us the delightful indie comedy "All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane," Jucy delivers one of its characters’ favourite things – a perfect “womantic” night out. [Synopsis courtesy of Jane Schoettle, Toronto International Film Festival]