Those who have grown up in Texas might feel as if the characters and town featured in Miss Juneteenth were ripped right from their own lives; that’s how lived in this film feels. Released this year on Juneteenth, Fort Worth native, Channing Godfrey Peoples’ directorial debut tells the story of Turquoise, a mother striving to take care of herself and provide a future for her daughter. She sees a way to secure her daughter’s future in the annual Miss Juneteenth pageant, a pageant she herself won when she was younger. Authentic to its setting, this film moves from the charmingly greasy bar Turquoise works shifts at to the prim and proper pageant world, all in the same Texas town.

Nicole Beharie and Alexis Chikaze in Miss Juneteenth

Like pageant movies before it, the plot centers around an unlikely contestant striving to win, however, Miss Juneteenth’s contestant is Turquoise’s daughter, Kai, who is more reluctant than she is unlikely. Nicole Beharie is endearing in her role as Turquoise who has to overcome not just the present day obstacles in front of her family but echoes from her past. Side note: This world needs more Nicole Beharie movies. Adding to the authenticity of the movie is the casting of charismatic Houston, Texas native Kendrick Sampson who you might recognize from his role as Nathan in the hit HBO show Insecure. His character brings forward issues both Turquoise and Kai must reckon with.

What struck me the most, as I’ve said before, is how familiar the movie felt. From the side characters, to the people walking around town on the periphery of the screen. While I have never been in a pageant myself nor have I lived in Fort Worth, I have met many of the characters depicted here. For instance, at one point in the movie Turquoise and Kai visit a local Blcak church and we see the service going on. I was transported right into this scene; every hat was in place, every “hallelujah” in tune. I would like to know how many in this cast were paid actors as at times it seemed as if Peoples dropped cameras and her actors into a real town and said “action”.

From its depiction of the mother-daughter relationship to the sincerity of the performance by Nicole Beharie you will be moved by this film. Miss Juneteenth is a slice of Texan life depicted on the big screen, or to be correct, your streaming platform. Whether you check it out this weekend of its release or two years later when you find out about it, it is definitely worth the watch.