May 2022: Flowers
April showers bring May flowers, and so do we! Here’s our favorite film flowers.
Jesse’s Rec
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
As some of the most famous flowers in cinematic history, the poisonous “poppies, poppies, poppies” in The Wizard of Oz both embody the colorful magic spun throughout the film and the drug-soaked history forever attached to the movie. I helped continue this ritual in high school, watching the film just after smoking weed with a friend. We even added an accompaniment of Dark Side of the Moon to the afternoon, an ancient tradition made more poignant when my dad came into my room, saw what was going on, and said the last time he paired Oz with Pink Floyd he was on acid. While we weren’t indulging in the opium hinted at in the movie at the time, our particular flower still induced a lethargy similar to the one that struck the characters in the movie and we were unable to make it to the credits before nodding off.
Kirk’s Rec
Adaptation. (2002)
The category is flowers and I can’t imagine Spike Jonze’s meta-comedy Adaptation. not making the cut. Charlie Kaufman writes himself into his own screenplay when he finds himself struggling to adapt a book about orchids and the eccentric orchid thief at its center. Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper give some of their best performances. Though the brain-busting meta-narrative might’ve aged weirdly over the years, the film’s heart and humor transcends all of that. Much like flowers, Adaptation. is both beautiful and innocuous and boy does it know it.
Chris’ Rec
City Lights (1931)
Though this isn’t my personal favorite Chaplin joint (that would be Modern Times) many critics regard City Lights as one of the best films of all time. Released years after the beginning of the talkie revolution, City Lights is the silent era’s swan song, and at the center of it lies a charming romance between Chaplin’s “Tramp” and a blind flower girl. There’s a lot of other plot points and side stories (my favorite being the boxing match) but all serve the budding affection between a person who dedicates her life to nurturing delicate things, and the Tramp.
Dylan’s Rec
Annihilation (2018)
Annihilation is my favorite film of the past ten years for many reasons: incredible performances, an unbelievable final act, and the central thesis that the only way to cure depression is to set yourself on fire (if you’re my psychiatrist, this is a joke haha see we’re all laughing). But the visuals of the film are beyond words. Due to the refractory nature of The Shimmer, we get out-of-this-world creations like a shark/alligator hybrid, internal organs slithering like snakes, and floral topiaries in the shape of humans because, well, they were. And when Tessa Thompson’s character discovers she too will soon succumb to plant life, she accepts this fate with poise and grace. Because if you’re going to die, why not be beautiful?
Stephanie’s Rec
Pleasantville (1998)
In Pleasantville, Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon bring color to an idyllic yet repressed fictional town by educating its citizens in art, literature, and sex. The town starts out black, white, and sterile. The first thing that shows its true color is a rose, representing lust and passion. As the townspeople begin to become more enlightened, more and more colors seep into their world and soon enough, the town’s flowers as well as its citizens are vibrant and beautiful.