REVIEW: Flower

04/05/2018

 ★★★

Both shiningly unique and bravely daring, Flower takes us into the vibrant teenage world of its protagonist, Erica (Zoey Deutch), and all of her misadventures. A compelling performance from Deutch is ultimately what holds the film together, but it falls short in its messy final act and in the incredible apparentness of its low budget throughout. Nonetheless, director Max Winkler created an enjoyable film with definite merit - it was entertaining and captivating to watch this story unfold and witness the development of its characters.

Flower follows seventeen-year-old Erica, a rebellious teen who makes sure she is in control of every aspect of her life - she cannot and will not be told what to do. She lives with her mother (Kathryn Hahn) and future stepfather, Bob (Tim Heidecker), and is working tirelessly on getting the funds to bail her father out of jail. When her stepbrother-to-be, Luke (Joey Morgan), is released from rehab, Erica is initially widely opposed to yet another new body living in her space. However, it isn't long before Erica and Luke create a bond when they get into some hijnks involving "Hot Old Guy" from the local bowling alley (Adam Scott).

The film starts off strong, steadily introducing us to Erica as well as all of the other players involved. And this is definitely not a predictable story, which is always to be appreciated. The film takes many surprising turns, and it remains thoroughly engaging because of this, in addition to its complex protagonist. Its plot unfortunately reaches a bizarre turning part where everything, quite irrevocably, goes to sh*t.

It's still entertaining beyond this point since, after all, you are left wondering, "Just how exactly are they going to end all of this?" And then something even crazier happens. Some people will likely enjoy the ending more than others. I myself wasn't the biggest fan, but I didn't completely hate it either. So needless to say, it's still worth a watch.

It was also at times a little distracting how haphazardly the film seemed put together. It was clearly low-budget, but that can often be wonderfully disguised in indie films. It just seem that other than putting together all the necessary shots and adding a bangin' soundtrack in, there wasn't all that much effort put into making the film look good. That being said, it wasn't at all visually unappealing-the lack of effort was just apparent. Regardless, this didn't make or break the film for me.

In the end, many will probably leave Flower with an assortment of feelings, whether hopeful, uneasy, or somewhere in between. And there is definite value to be found in that, because isn't that what movies are supposed to do? Make us feel something? 

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