September 28, 2023
FILM: FLORA AND SON
DIRECTED BY: JOHN CARNEY
STARRING: EVE HEWSON, JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, OREN KINLAN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
John Carney’s films, such as Once and Sing Street, embrace the lives, struggles, and creativity of musicians with heart and well-rounded characters. His new film, Flora and Son, is no different. Something seems particularly alive and relevant this time though. It may be his best film yet.
Eve Hewson (U2 Bono’s daughter) plays Flora, a tough, assertive, and strong-willed 31-year old whose son Max, from a broken relationship to a musician, is trying to find himself in Dublin. Right from the beginning music is at the forefront of Flora’s life as she struts through the streets listening to lively techno dance music. Carney moves her to the beat in a very deliberate series of shots. Music is also a part of Max’s father’s life. His big claim to fame is his band once opened for Snow Patrol. Now he’s struggling like everyone else. As Max has a few scrapes with the law, Flora finds a guitar in a dumpster and decides to spruce it up and give it to Max as a belated birthday gift. As they have a contentious relationship he shows little interest in the guitar, being more driven by higher energy synthesized created rap. Flora decides to learn the instrument herself and quickly searches through YouTube for some lessons. There, she stumbles across Jeff, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who lives in L.A. and offers sessions for $20.
The world that is created here feels very authentic as all of these creative types are trying to express themselves with music. As such, the film is very much about the creative process and collaboration. It’s also striking that Carney, whose film Once won an Oscar for the adult contemporary song Falling Slowly, attempts to bridge so many styles of music here. The soft acoustic sound of that international hit is coupled with the many genres found today in popular music. We see the influence and inspired words of Joni Mitchell to the references of Hip Hop artists such as Drake. Carney has moved beyond the quiet creativity found in Dublin’s Once, some sixteen years ago. People now can collaborate and share with synthesizers, apps like GarageBand and, most notably here, online with a character like Jeff. The film is part an exploration of creativity in the now international and tech oriented music scene that fosters so much of today’s music.
Carney also features characters creating music videos as yet another form of expression. As such, his visual style has been enhanced and is much more lively than the cloudy atmosphere of Once. The color palette and editing style spring to life with a freshness that is never overdone.
But this isn’t just a film about musicians, it’s about broken people who find meaning in this type of expression. More importantly, it is about responsibility. As the long-distance relationship between Flora and Jeff becomes potentially romantic, there’s still the question (also explored in Once) about the importance of family and taking care of the people in one’s life.
While there may be a few narrative leaps that have to be forgiven at times (Flora’s progress on the guitar and songwriting are particularly notable) this is a finely crafted script with a lot of witty dialogue and solid character development.
Flora and Son is a film about a mother and son relationship but also about a woman finding her own way in the world. She could buy into the idea of a Hollywood career and romance but is that realistic? Carney manages to tell a story which is simultaneously grounded in reality while also being hugely entertaining. Eve Newson is a force to be reckoned with as Flora. There are many shades to her character which reaches a turning point during her emotional reaction to a Joni Mitchell video. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is perfect as the sensitive, scruffy Jeff. He also has a beautiful voice to boot that will melt many people’s hearts.
Overall, I really loved Flora and Son. It’s comedic, romantic, and musically satisfying.
Flora and Son opens in theaters this week before its streaming release on AppleTV+.
FILM: FLORA AND SON
DIRECTED BY: JOHN CARNEY
STARRING: EVE HEWSON, JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, OREN KINLAN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
John Carney’s films, such as Once and Sing Street, embrace the lives, struggles, and creativity of musicians with heart and well-rounded characters. His new film, Flora and Son, is no different. Something seems particularly alive and relevant this time though. It may be his best film yet.
Eve Hewson (U2 Bono’s daughter) plays Flora, a tough, assertive, and strong-willed 31-year old whose son Max, from a broken relationship to a musician, is trying to find himself in Dublin. Right from the beginning music is at the forefront of Flora’s life as she struts through the streets listening to lively techno dance music. Carney moves her to the beat in a very deliberate series of shots. Music is also a part of Max’s father’s life. His big claim to fame is his band once opened for Snow Patrol. Now he’s struggling like everyone else. As Max has a few scrapes with the law, Flora finds a guitar in a dumpster and decides to spruce it up and give it to Max as a belated birthday gift. As they have a contentious relationship he shows little interest in the guitar, being more driven by higher energy synthesized created rap. Flora decides to learn the instrument herself and quickly searches through YouTube for some lessons. There, she stumbles across Jeff, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who lives in L.A. and offers sessions for $20.
The world that is created here feels very authentic as all of these creative types are trying to express themselves with music. As such, the film is very much about the creative process and collaboration. It’s also striking that Carney, whose film Once won an Oscar for the adult contemporary song Falling Slowly, attempts to bridge so many styles of music here. The soft acoustic sound of that international hit is coupled with the many genres found today in popular music. We see the influence and inspired words of Joni Mitchell to the references of Hip Hop artists such as Drake. Carney has moved beyond the quiet creativity found in Dublin’s Once, some sixteen years ago. People now can collaborate and share with synthesizers, apps like GarageBand and, most notably here, online with a character like Jeff. The film is part an exploration of creativity in the now international and tech oriented music scene that fosters so much of today’s music.
Carney also features characters creating music videos as yet another form of expression. As such, his visual style has been enhanced and is much more lively than the cloudy atmosphere of Once. The color palette and editing style spring to life with a freshness that is never overdone.
But this isn’t just a film about musicians, it’s about broken people who find meaning in this type of expression. More importantly, it is about responsibility. As the long-distance relationship between Flora and Jeff becomes potentially romantic, there’s still the question (also explored in Once) about the importance of family and taking care of the people in one’s life.
While there may be a few narrative leaps that have to be forgiven at times (Flora’s progress on the guitar and songwriting are particularly notable) this is a finely crafted script with a lot of witty dialogue and solid character development.
Flora and Son is a film about a mother and son relationship but also about a woman finding her own way in the world. She could buy into the idea of a Hollywood career and romance but is that realistic? Carney manages to tell a story which is simultaneously grounded in reality while also being hugely entertaining. Eve Newson is a force to be reckoned with as Flora. There are many shades to her character which reaches a turning point during her emotional reaction to a Joni Mitchell video. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is perfect as the sensitive, scruffy Jeff. He also has a beautiful voice to boot that will melt many people’s hearts.
Overall, I really loved Flora and Son. It’s comedic, romantic, and musically satisfying.
Flora and Son opens in theaters this week before its streaming release on AppleTV+.