Rose Plays Julie

Rose Meets Julie is not going to be for everyone. It is a slow-moving, contemplative, deep dive into the minds and lives of three people. There is no building to a frenetic climax, no explosion of plot, and no amazing catharsis. I’ve seen it compared to a Greek tragedy, which shows a lack of familiarity with the concept of a tragedy. This is more of a psychological study on reckoning with the past and self-identity. The three people are Rose, Ellen, and Peter. Rose is a young woman in college. She was adopted, and has longed to get to know her birth mother, despite the documentation stating no contact. Ellen and Peter are her birth parents. Rose digging into her past opens up a lot of old scars for Ellen and Peter, namely that he raped her, and Rose is the product of that. The movie proceeds from there, as Rose reckons with this new information about her very existence, Ellen has to face a trauma she has spent her life turning her back on to protect herself, and Peter is forced to confront his very nature. The acting in this is subtle. Some might say it boring, and I get why. But this is not trying to be Promising Young Woman or I Spit On Your Grave. There is some seeking of revenge here, but it’s hardly the focus. This is about trauma that spans generations, about what defines a person and how one can take command of it. This movie lets the characters and the viewer sit with the story and the emotions as they develop. There isn’t about plot points. It’s about seeing how Rose goes from having a hole in her heart over this missing piece of her past to trying to reconcile that her existence came from violence and violation. It’s about Ellen finally confronting her pain and trauma and being able to speak about it. And it’s about Peter being forced to stop ignoring his dark side, but not redeeming him for it. This is not a romantic date night movie, nor is it a sit down with popcorn movie. It is directed and acted in an eloquent but blunt and honest manner. There is artistry but no artifice, just the caustic reality of the situation, and it can be uncomfortable. But I found it a very well told story, far better than what I expected.