Flora and Son was the second film I saw at TIFF 2023, and it was truly the palette cleanser I needed after kicking the festival off with The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something has Passed. The film will leave you smiling from ear to ear, but a lot of that depends on whether you can accept some less than believable moments. Luckily, Flora and Son is such a feel-good film that you’ll forget any of its small issues almost instantly.
The story follows Flora (Eve Hewson), a single mom with a wild life struggling to get by while she raises a troubled teen who idolizes the rap lifestyle. Her son Max (Orén Kinlan) is well known by the Dublin police, her ex Ian (Jack Reynor) has a failed music career, and she lives somewhere in the realm of never wanting to aspire to anything. Trying to give her son a push in the right direction, she rescues an acoustic guitar. However, dance and rap music is his passion, so when he rudely rejects her gift, she decides to take up guitar lessons, mainly out of spite.
“…I feel like Flora and Son is two separate films being mashed into one, and it does each story a huge disservice.”
Flora enlists the help of Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an American guitar teacher who long gave up on profiting from music, though it is clearly his passion. Levitt’s character glows on screen. I’ve always been a fan of his, and feel like he disappears from the film industry for long periods of time and occasionally pops up just to brighten everyone’s day. This works wonders as Jeff, even winning over Flora outside of her usual shallow goals.
Hewson brings a new meaning to a rough and tough independent woman. She’s vulgar, harsh and even shocking at times. This is all countered by Hewson’s incredible ability to switch to a softer side with a simple stare, giving the audience reason to pause with her and focus on what she is feeling. Writer and director John Carney perfectly balances Flora’s harsh personality and the chaos of her life with Jeff’s positive, peaceful, inspiring vibes.
That being said, I feel like Flora and Son is two separate films being mashed into one, and it does each story a huge disservice. As a young mother myself, I could resonate with many of Flora’s struggles, and to see that Carney manages to depict a mother’s deep dark thoughts so perfectly was a surprise. The relationship between Flora and Max, Max and Ian, and Flora and Ian could have been a film on its own.
Flora and Son takes this story and adds a layer of comedy, which is partly why the audience won’t be able to stop smiling. The comedy occasionally borders on parody, however, which can take you out of the moment. Watching a 14-year-old rap is usually a pretty uncomfortable experience, and expecting audiences to accept it is a big ask. However, Flora supports her son, and music ultimately brings them together.
Though many women will be able to identify with the mother-son (and maybe even ex-husband) dynamic, the love story between Jeff and Flora will have people swooning. Their relationship is entirely online, but the chemistry they have makes for an extremely intimate bond you feel drawn into. Carney makes an excellent choice maintaining this virtual relationship, almost leaving viewers begging for more.
At one point, Jeff tells Flora that when people smile with their mouths. Not their eyes while listening to a song, it shows that they remain “unchanged,” and it is such a perfect piece of foreshadowing as Flora brings both him and his music back to life. He sparks something inside Flora that forever changes her and her relationship with her family.
As I mentioned before, Flora and Son tells a heartwarming and hilarious story, but there are so many plot holes that I can’t let them go unmentioned. The issues aren’t glaring, but they are very clearly part of the film for shallow reasons. Flora walks to pick her son up from her ex-husband, but her son is plenty old enough to be on his own, and is many times throughout the film. This is only a plot point because we needed a heated discussion between Flora and Ian.
Flora has virtual guitar lessons in the park without issue, but she needs to run an Ethernet cable to the roof when she wants to do it there (also what low income family has a spool of Ethernet cable lying around?). The moment that needs the most forgiving is how a live band performance can include two members phoning in via Zoom with perfect audio in a crowded bar.
“Flora and Son manages to give viewers a reason to forgive many of its issues by providing a heart-warming yet funny story backed by charismatic characters and intimate conversations.”
The ending of Flora and Son also felt pieced together as the film tries to blend the two main stories. Suddenly a very beautiful, romantic song between Jeff and Flora takes a back seat, and it is all hands on deck to work on a piece for Max. I can see where Carney was trying to go here, showing Flora has grown, is no longer selfish and bonding with her family, and that she’s found a man that doesn’t bolt because she is a mom. The progression here happens so suddenly after an entrancing build up to their budding romance that it left me feeling unsatisfied.
Music is clearly a huge part of Flora and Son. It is used to convey emotions, move storylines, describe characters and, of course, it’s meant for us to hear. There are several original songs in the film, and though they are serviceable, so many times music written for characters in films can feel so cheesy. Again, here we are met with a 14-year-old rapper and “mom power” lyrics, so Flora and Son suffers the same fate.
The theatre laughed, cried and cringed, ultimately leaving a little bit happier after seeing the film. Flora and Son manages to give viewers a reason to forgive many of its issues by providing a heart-warming yet funny story backed by charismatic characters and intimate conversations.
