Sundance Review: FLORA AND SON is an Energizing Uplifting Film From the Director of ONCE and SING STREET
The director of Once, Sing Street, and Begin Again, John Carney, is back at Sundance with a new musical-themed film titled Flora and Son, and after an insanely stressful day, this is exactly the movie I needed to see. All of the problems I was dealing with, all of the stress on my shoulders, it all just melted away and for almost two hours I was engulfed in this movie that made me laugh and made me cry. It was not only the highlight of my day, but it was the highlight of the festival.
I’m a big fan of Carney and his past movies, and like those, this one is pure magic that tells a beautiful and funny story about a feisty young mother living in Dublin, Ireland, who is co-parenting her troublemaker son. She’s at a crossroads in her life, and it’s at this point that she finds a guitar, gets it fixed up, and embarks on an inspiring journey of growth and self-discovery.
Eve Hewson takes on the role of Flora, who “lost touch with aspiration long ago. She juggles a sustenance-necessitated childcare job and a fraught co-parenting arrangement with her unkind ex as she tries to raise her son, Max. Flora and Max’s brash rapport is both hilarious and revealing of their struggle to understand each other — she searches for autonomy and self-love masquerading as selfishness, while his longing for independence and self-expression manifests as delinquency. When the two connect over a twice-discarded used guitar, the uniting power of music brings them closer than what simple proximity can provide.”
Hewson is incredible in this role. She gives such an awesome performance, and such an interesting and crazy playful character, and she plays it so well. She’s got this great and wild personality that you can’t help but fall in love with. I’m not familiar with the actress’s past work, but I think this movie might just make her a big star.
In the movie, she learns how to play the guitar and starts taking online lessons, the teacher of which is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and who doesn’t like Joseph Gordon-Levitt!? He gives a charismatic performance in the movie, and the two characters strike up a long-distance relationship of sorts, which makes things complicated, but each is very understanding of each other’s situation. As she is taking these lessons, she finds common ground with her son in music and the two start to grow closer to each other after years of resentment.
John Carney has delivered another charming movie with his signature melodic style, and the description says the "high-energy performance from Eve Hewson and her oceans-crossing chemistry with her online guitar teacher (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) bring sweeping romance with an Irish punch to this buoyant piece. A story of how music can re-energize a life and resurrect long-dormant dreams, as well as a testament to the new connective tissues we grow in isolation, Flora and Son is an all-around revelry in the beauty of relationship.”
Damn, I loved this movie and I just want to watch it again! While we wait for it to eventually get released, I’ll be over here watching Carney’s previous films. This is a must-watch movie! Apple picked up the film for around $20 million.
