Every time a new indie arrives on the scene nine times out of 10 it revolves around a dysfunctional family. Even in the past 12 months Imaginary Heroes, Chumscrubber and The Squid and the Whale have been just three examples. So, here comes Junebug yet another independent drama revolving around a family with problems. But do we really need yet another film from such a depressingly familiar subgenre?

Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) is a high-brow Chicago art dealer who is keen to attract an eccentric new artist who lives in South Carolina, in the middle of the country. He is so in demand that she has to go and visit him to attach him to her art gallery. She discovers that the family of her new husband George (Alessandro Nivola) also live in South Carolina and so they intend on introducing her to them for the first time. But the family themselves are unlike anything Madeleine has ever encountered.

Unlike many similarly themed dramas, Junebug doesn't go for the easy route. Yes the family are hugely dysfunctional, but they're not dysfunctional in a clichéd way. For once, you actually believe these people could be a genuine family. There are so many moments in the film which could have been played for more obvious humour or more heavy-handed pathos but the film is remarkably restrained and subtle. The realism of the situations makes the film infinitely more involving than many other films of this ilk.

The family themselves are all drawn into three dimensional characters. Yet not through clumsy backstory or tiresome expositions but through the little things we do that define who we are. Benjamin McKenzie, best known from The OC, plays the younger son who is quiet and unfriendly and seemingly unhappy with his girlfriend Ashley's pregnancy. There is however a wonderful scene where he tries to do something rarely thoughtful for her. She has an obsession with meerkats and when he sees a programme on them he rushes around desperately to try and find a tape to record it for her. But he fails and then takes out his anger on her.

Unlike him, Ashley is loud and enthusiastic, but never obnoxious. In fact, her consistent enthusiasm is incredibly infectious. She's played by Amy Adams, who delivers an incredible breakout role. The only family member who really tries to get to know Madeleine, her vulnerability is disarming and her excitability is frequently hilarious. As the story develops she also gets to shine in a heartbreaking breakdown scene. She deserves every award under the sun for her work here and has already been getting more work off the back of this.

While the drama increases, the film never panders to sentimentality or stereotypes. There are no grand apologies or uncomfortable reunions between distant family members. The writer cleverly realises that some problems in families aren't going to be solved after the hour and a half, many never do. The film also cleverly etches the depression that small towns often contain.

The dreams that never get realised and the people who will never change. The dialogue in the film is also excellent. Characters speak like real people and say what people really would say in such a situation. After the set-in-her-ways mother oversees Ashley receiving a silver spoon in a baby shower she complains, saying 'that won't go in the dishwasher'.

Junebug is the independent film you really must track down this year. It's incisive, witty, moving, thoughtful and brilliantly written. It deserves to breakout, rather like Lost In Translation and Sideways did, although it may struggle with its lack of stars. A film like this excels with word of mouth so I can't recommend this highly enough. One of the finest films of the year.

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