Sunshine Cleaning was another Sundance favorite in 2009. It’s a dramedy starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. Based on a true story, Christine Jeffs’ movie revolves around Rose Lorkowski (Adams), a former high school cheerleading captain who is now a thirty-something single mother and cleans houses for a living. Her son is quite a hand full and she is forced to send the little critter to a special school which naturally costs a lot of money. Luckily she is sleeping with a married cop who can advise her and he suggests getting into the lucrative business of crime scene cleaning. Together with her equally disillusioned sister Norah (Blunt) she starts up Sunshine Cleaning and embarks on a voyage of personal growth and hygiene.
Now, given the peculiar subject matter involving human remains, Sunshine Cleaning is a very captivating and optimistic movie full of hope and hardship. It tackles real issues such as loss, single parenthood and the working class environment in an offbeat and endearing way aided by powerful performances by its two leading ladies who also have great chemistry together. They play sisters who are still coming to terms with their mother’s suicide when they were kids and this delicate subject is intricately intertwined in the melancholy mish mash of everyday life, resulting in a poignant and brilliant tale.
Created by the producers of Little Miss Sunshine who once again brought Alan Arkin along for the ride, this movie is about family, intricate human emotions and will satisfy even the most cynical viewers. The only downside to this quirky fictional endeavor is its length. Lasting only 82 minutes, the ending is sudden and slightly painful seeing as this film has the power to suck you in and make you feel like you lost a trusted friend just when things were getting good.
Great writing, engaging characters and wonderful performances, what more could you ask for besides another half hour or so?
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