Richmond writer’s ‘Sunshine Cleaning’ is enjoyably quirky

Sunshine Cleaning" isn't quite "Little Miss Sunshine Cleaning," though it does share the same enjoyable quirkiness, some of the same themes and Alan Arkin.

Written by Richmonder Megan Holley, the film tells the story of two sisters who bond by working in an unusual profession: They specialize in cleaning up bloody and otherwise unsavory crime scenes.

Equal parts comedy and drama, the film is graced by two fine actresses who can handle both. Amy Adams stars as Rose, whose young life is passing her by. She works as a maid, barely making enough to support herself and her son, who is about 10. Meanwhile, she carries on a long-term affair with her married ex-boyfriend from high school, a cop played by Steve Zahn.

It is he who tells her how lucrative the crime-scene cleaning business can be, and Rose quickly enlists the help of her somewhat less responsible younger sister, Norah, played by Emily Blunt. The relationship between the sisters seems real and unforced, and it grows as they plunge unprepared into the profession of wiping up dead people's blood.

The job is fulfilling, at least to Rose, because she sees it as a way of helping people when they are distressed. It is that aspect of the job that allows her to talk about it with pride to her social-climbing former friends from high school.

Part of the joy of the movies is the way they can take us into different worlds, and "Sunshine Cleaning" appears to be an accurate depiction of what it takes to work in the specialized field of what at one point is euphemistically referred to as biohazard removal. We learn of the precautions that need to be taken, the certifications and some of the jargon -- a corpse that has gone undiscovered for a while is called "a decomp."

Arkin plays the women's hustling father who bonds with Rose's son. The whereabouts of their mother are easy to figure out.

Reportedly, the script went through a large number of revisions (as do all screenplays) and excisions. But some of the scenes and characters that were cut out have left gaps in the story. For instance, we suddenly hear of Norah's previously unknown boyfriend, who appears in one brief scene and is never heard from again. Meanwhile, her romantic leanings just as suddenly head in a different direction, again with no warning.

Director Christine Jeffs, who also made "Sylvia" starring Gwyneth Paltrow as poet Sylvia Plath, displays here a sure-handed approach toward story and character. Her tone is consistent, one of amused drama.

"Sunshine Cleaning" is perhaps not as sunshiny as its title, nor is it as sunshiny as "Little Miss Sunshine." But it is an intriguing look into an unusual job and the people who perform it, as evidenced by the performances of two exemplary actresses.