Mack (Madison Lawlor) attempts to spiritually connect with her recently deceased sister by escaping to her family’s rustic cabin. But her seclusion is cut short when her type-A childhood bestie, Alex (Decker Sadowski), crashes the private grief retreat with her own offbeat friend, Dylan (Olivia Blue). Emotions run high as Alex attempts to bond with an increasingly resentful Mack, and tensions mount as Dylan’s true feelings for Alex begin to show.

Premiering at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival early this year, Juniper is “a solid entry into the mumblecore genre… [it] excels in the performances, particularly that of the lead trio… Another strength is that [the film] is thoroughly and unapologetically a female-centered film, with the leads, writers, producers, editors, and directors almost all being women. Key themes include the delicate balancing act women face between being themselves and pleasing others and all the shades in between rivalry and support” (Film Threat). Bello echoes this sentiment about Juniper: “It’s time to feel EMPOWERED. It’s time to be feel BOLD. It’s time to feel FREE.”