John Carney premieres his latest musical film, Flora and Son, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and then made its streaming premiere on Apple TV+.
WTOP’s Jason Fraley reviews Flora and Son (Part 1)
He wrote and directed such beloved films as Once Upon a Time (2007), Begin Again (2013) and Sing Street (2016).
Now one of our most accessible auteur directors, John Carney, comes with his latest musical film, Flora and Son, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and made its streaming premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday.
The film takes place in modern-day Dublin, Ireland. follows Flora, a single mother who struggles to raise her teenage son Max, a petty thief on the cusp of juvenile detention. Desperate to find a hobby that will inspire Max, Flora rescues a beat-up guitar from a dumpster and discovers that one person’s trash can become a unique salvation for the whole family.
It’s no surprise that Eve Hewson, daughter of U2’s Bono, one of the biggest rock stars on the planet, can carry a tune, but you might be surprised to learn that she can sing an entire movie. So far, we’ve mostly seen her in supporting film roles as Tom Hanks’ daughter in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies (2015) or in series like Cinemax’s The Knick (2014), Behind Her Eyes (2021). ) on Netflix and Bad Sisters (2022) on Apple TV+.
In Flora and Son we watch her effectively turn an unlikable character into a likable one in 97 minutes. Flora is quite off-putting at first, ignoring her neglected son (Oren Kinlan), who goes to a club party, drinks her face and sleeps with random guys. Even after discovering the guitar, she acts aggressively and flirtatiously towards her remote guitar teacher Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who teaches virtually from Los Angeles and rebuffs her persistent alcoholic advances.
Such flawed anti-heroes have become super fashionable, from the TV series Fleabag (2016-2019) to the foreign film The Worst Man in the World (2021). That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a little surprising for Carney’s brand, considering Keira Knightley was the innocent hero swapping pop playlists with Mark Ruffalo in Begin Again to heal her heart from her bratty ex-boyfriend, played by Adam Levine.
However, if you stick with it, you’ll realize that Flora’s character arc is a “Cat in the Cradle” story of how she learns to put her son first, forming a very touching bond between mother and son. Even if it’s his raunchiest film, Carney fans will recognize it as the hero’s calling card, overcoming a selfish ex (Jack Reynor of Sunshine, Peripheral) with the help of a musician (Jeff slays Flora in Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides). Now”, previously in “CODA” Apple).
The best part is that we’re getting new original songs, just as “Once” gave us the Oscar-winning tune “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; “Begin Again” gave us the Oscar-nominated “Lost Stars” by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois; and Sing Street gave us Critics’ Choice Award nominee Gary Clark’s Drive Like You Stole It. Here, Clarke reunites with Carney to pen “High Life,” a catchy tune that will have you humming as the credits roll.
When the colorful final title card “FLORA AND SON” flashes on the screen, it almost comes as a surprise because we are so invested in the story, caring about the lives of these characters and admiring their underdog spirit in making music. on their home recording, editing and mixing devices. In the end, that’s the biggest compliment one can give a film: to say that it flies by. Why is this? Because that means it works.
WTOP’s Jason Fraley reviews Flora and Son (Part 2)
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