When someone orders cranberry juice at a bar or party, many assume that this is because the person ordering is either an alcoholic, a designated driver or cannot drink for reasons having to do with health, morality or religion. The truth is, though, that unless the cranberry juice drinker tells us their reasons, we really don’t know what the reason is. Their cup of cranberry juice may conceal a story we can only guess at. That is certainly what’s happening with Juana in Sara the short film, Cranberry Nights.
The film, written and directed by Sara Robin, tells the story of 16 year old Juana, who is invited by her friends to a park party with booze and who knows what else. We learn immediately that Juana lives in a socially conservative household. She wears a cross, and, when her mother enters the apartment, she quickly throws a sweater over her not-very-revealing shirt. Although her shirt would raise no eyebrows in mainstream culture today, the minimal amount of cleavage would clearly have upset Juana’s mother. Her mother also thinks that 7PM on a sunny evening is too late for Juana to go out. But go out she does.
When she does get to the part, she’s visibly nervous. Despite her worries, her friend assures her that everyone parties in the park and there’s no need to be worried about the police. The main reason Juana agreed to go to the party in the first place seems to be the presence of her crush, Robin. But Juana’s adamant refusal to even consider drinking a cocktail or a beer leaves us with the impression that she believes underage drinking is wrong, and that she is in fact more or less on the same page as her mother when it comes to social conservatism. Over the course of the film, though, we discover that Juana in fact has a secret. Her decision to drink only unmixed cranberry juice is not necessarily due to any moral or religious qualms. The question is, can her friends keep her secret?
We have here a beautiful portrait of the dangers of ignorant peer pressure. I say ignorant, because those administering the pressure often, and certainly in this case, have no idea what’s really at stake for the person they’re pressuring. If anything, this film teaches us humility: we should never assume that we know what’s going on with another person or that we understand their reasons. The only one in the film who seems to display this sort of humility is Robin, Juana’s crush. He doesn’t ask for her reasons, he just accepts them. And for this reason, we can understand why he’s her crush. But this dynamic brings to the forefront the real struggle Juana faces: she wants to be a normal teenager. She clearly would love it if she could date Robin and have the kind of fun her friends are having. But she has to consider her obligations to herself and her family. For her, the consequences of being pulled over by the police are far more serious than they are for her friends, who urge her not to worry.
One of the most striking moments of the film comes shortly after Juana’s secret is revealed. One of the teens hurls an offensive and racist term at her, despite appearing to be Hispanic just like Juana. This episode raises the fascinating question of whether those of supposed higher status within the same group are in fact more prone to looking down on others of supposed lower status than those from different groups might be. The other striking image is the final one. We find Juana cradling her apparently very drunk friend, Kelly, who tells Juana that she’ll come with her if she gets into trouble. Juana, who seems very alone at this point, tries to explain to Kelly that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about; even her best friend doesn’t really understand her.
The film is superbly shot and acted. Inde Navarrette, who plays Juana is totally convincing in this role. She’s also played recurring roles in 13 Reasons Why and the upcoming Superman and Lois. Sara Robin, originally from Germany, has written and directed several shorts, including Listeners, which won overall 2nd Place at the 2016 Boston Redstone Film Festival. She is a Fulbright alumna, and is currently in the process of turning Cranberry Nights into a feature-length film.
By: Darida Rose
© 2021. UniversalCinema Mag.