ELLIOT Page
Juno MacGuff is the typical “cool teenager” — witty, rebellious, and full of the invincible certainty that the world is shaped around them. But it’s hard to be cool when her belly is expanding like a beach balloon, her ankles are swelling, she constantly needs to use the bathroom, and her classmates treat her like a social pariah. Yes, teenage pregnancy has not been kind to Juno MacGruff. But then again, when has Juno ever cared about what people think of her? She’s a lone wolf — free to roam this life with unrestrained sarcasm. Of course, most of that is a mask. The idea of giving birth is frightening; handing the baby off to strangers for adoption even more so. And it’s this emotional complexity of a teenager pretending that her pregnancy is not affecting her own life that makes Elliot Page’s performance so compelling. Juno’s stepmother calls her a “little viking,” her dad says she’s an “irresponsible child,” and her socially-awkward boyfriend thinks she’s “beautiful.” Juno MacGruff is all of that and more, and it’s an achievement on Elliot Page’s part to let the audience see it as well.