I was fortunate enough to attend the preview screening for Sony Pictures Julia (2021 film) yesterday night at New Farm - Five Star Cinemas and quite honestly this is the best film I have seen this year. This documentary chronicles the life of Julia Child and is directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. It is a feel good classic that tells the inspirational story of Child and her road to success.
I’ll just start by saying the trailer does not do this film justice and it really must be seen in person to experience all that it has to offer. I wasn’t sure what to think of this documentary after looking at the trailer and I couldn’t help but think back to the film Julie & Julia. I was unsure of what the film was going to bring to the table in terms of originality and how it would depict the leading lady. Let’s just say it had been a long time since I watched a documentary that really hit home.
Perhaps it was a good thing that I did not know what to expect from this film because as I started watching the opening scene for Julia, I instantly fell in love with it. The film opened to cinematic shots of cutting up ingredients and preparing a chicken to be roasted in time to a Jimi Hendrix song. I was instantly tapping my foot thinking this is the last song I would have expected to hear to set up the film. I realised at that moment that this film had a lot of love poured into it because all of the shots that followed were perfectly executed and the film had a rhythm of its own.
This film did everything I didn’t expect and more. It opened my eyes to the life and story of Julia Child and what a remarkable woman she was. Not only she did stay on television into her senior years, until her body was ready to break down, she also stood her ground on certain political views regarding women and their right to choose and homosexuality even when it was hurting her reputation. It was fascinating to learn about Child’s life and I couldn’t help but think how much her husband would have loved her to let her soak up the spotlight.
The film takes you on a journey from the beginning to the very end of Julia Child’s life and you start to put the pieces together of how she changed American culture and what she has left behind. Today young women are posting on Instagram about their favourite dishes and it is hard to argue with the legacy Child has left behind. This was a truly fascinating film that cuts through to your core by revealing the more vulnerable parts of Child’s character. I left the cinema in complete awe of this woman and I have to say I loved every moment of it.
Joanna Letic