Juanita (2019 film)

Juanita is an American drama film, directed by Clark Johnson, from a screenplay by Roderick M. Spencer, based upon the novel Dancing on the Edge of the Roof by Sheila Williams. It stars Alfre Woodard and Adam Beach.

It was released on March 8, 2019, by Netflix.

Plot
A Columbus, Ohio woman takes a Greyhound bus to Butte, Montana, where she reinvents herself and meets an interesting cast of characters at a French restaurant.

Cast

 * Alfre Woodard as Juanita - Ohio black woman
 * Adam Beach as Jess - First Nations owner of French restaurant
 * LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Kay-Rita - Best friend
 * Marcus Henderson as Randy - Son in prison
 * Blair Underwood as himself - Sex fantasy man
 * Ashlie Atkinson as Peaches - Gay truck driver
 * Tsulan Cooper as Mary - Jess's sister
 * Bonnie Johnson as Ms. Berman - Nursing home friend
 * Jordan Nia Elizabeth as Bertie - Daughter
 * Acorye' White as Rashawn - Son
 * Taborah Johnson as Passenger out West
 * Joseph Yates as Carl
 * Kat Smith as Mignon - Jess's niece
 * Sam Hennings as Drew
 * Michael Harding as Nick
 * Barry Ratcliffe as Charlie
 * Elaine Miles as Mountain - Deputy sheriff

Production
In April 2017, it was announced Alfre Woodard, Blair Underwood, Marcus Henderson, Adam Beach, Ashlie Atkinson, Tsulan Cooper, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Kat Smith, had joined the cast of the film, with Clark Johnson directing from a screenplay by Roderick M. Spencer, based upon the novel by Sheila Williams. Stephanie Allain, Mel Jones and Jason Michael Berman produced the film under their Homegrown Pictures and Mandalay Pictures banners, respectively.

Filming
Principal photography began in April 2017, in Virginia.

Release
In April 2017, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on March 8, 2019.

Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 6.36/10.