BROKEN FLOWERS

MOMENTUM PICTURES

RELEASED 21 October 2005

Winner of the Grand Prix award at the 2005 Cannes Festival, ‘Broken Flowers’ see Bill Murray play a more cynical and bitter version of his ‘Lost in Translation’ character. Bachelor Don Johnston (Murray) has been mailed an anonymous pink letter claiming he has a son from one of his many affairs around twenty years ago. Spurred into action by his friend and amateur sleuth Winston (Jeffrey Wright), he looks up four old flames who may have sent the information (four very different performances from Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Sharon Stone, and Tilda Swinton). Once Don begins his search for his son, his journey becomes very much one of self discovery.

Writer/director Jim Jarmusch created this film with Bill Murray as his sole choice for the lead, and it’s perfectly suited to his world-weary face. Add in a fine performance from rosé-drinking Sharon Stone and her daughter Lolita (who lives up to her namesake) as trailer park trash, and the wonderfully funny sleuthings of Jeffrey Wright, and you have a film with classic written all over it’s pink notepaper.

Most of the humour comes from awkward situations, as well as a running joke about Don’s name (think Miami Vice actor). Clues (or coincidences?) end up being no help whatsoever. At one location there is a black dog called Winston (which makes Don think his friend has arranged the whole thing) and the colour pink is everywhere, from flowers to clothes to motorbikes. And just why does Don weep at a gravestone towards the end, and is the film even suggesting that Don has a daughter he already knows about?

‘Broken Flowers’ raises lots of questions about life, mainly of the ‘what if’ variety we all ponder from time to time. This bitter-sweet comedy doesn’t have the feel-good factor of ‘Lost In Translation’, but it’s every bit as impressive.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE