Movies about family dramas always have a way of feeling relatable - even more so when they're Australian.
New dramedy June Again from first-time feature film director JJ Winlove is no exception.
The lovely film, released perfectly to coincide with Mother's Day for its opening week, features all the awkward family dynamics, unexplored grudges and debilitating frustrations that can be found in any family unit.
June Again follows Wilton family matriarch June (Aussie icon Noni Hazlehurst), who has been living with dementia in an aged care facility for several years after suffering a stroke.
However, out of the blue she wakes up one day perfectly lucid and ready to head back out into the world. But her doctors warn that her condition is only temporary, and there is no way to know how long it will be before she returns to her previous state of being.
June makes a daring escape from her facility and heads to the home she remembers - only to find a new family calls the abode home.
When daughter Ginny (Claudia Karvan, True History of the Kelly Gang) finds June, she's shocked by her lucid state - and the way they immediately slip into their old, somewhat adversarial relationship.
June struggles to fathom the changes she encounters in her family, not least of which is the now years-long disconnect between Ginny and her brother Devon (Stephen Curry, Save Your Legs!).
Determined to mend family fences and set her children on the paths she had envisioned, June begins meddling as only mothers can do.
The film is great at capturing realistic family dynamics - the way fights fizzle out but the cause is never examined, the anger and resentment slowly building over the years; how family members desperately try and intervene and only cause more drama; the expectations that can never be lived up to.
Hazlehurst is a powerhouse in the lead, equal parts intimidating, vulnerable, heartbreaking and lovable.
Karvan plays a different role than audiences have seen her in before, almost cowed by her mother's more dominating presence.
Curry shows hidden depth and the after-effects of a trauma that has not been dealt with.
Other co-stars include Nash Edgerton, Uli Latukefu, Pip Edwards and more.
June Again has a great mix of humour, drama, a touch of mystery and even a little heartbreak.
While it's not the most groundbreaking movie you'll see this year, it has its own unique charm and hits home in a very Australian way.
Watch it with Mum.