Grief and Time Travel Haunt a Family of Brothers in She Loved Blossoms More (FANTASTIC)
Title: She Loved Blossoms More
First Non-Festival Release: TBD
Director: Yannis Veslemes
Writer: Dimitris Emmanouilidis, Yannis Veslemes
Runtime: 86 Minutes
Starring: Panos Papadopoulos, Julio Katsis, Aris Balis
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2024.
Grief shapes us. With every reminder that a loved one has passed, it can be hard to let go when their presence feels so great despite them being physically gone.
After suffering the loss of their mother (Alexia Kaltsiki), three brothers (Panos Papadopoulos, Julio Katsis, and Aris Balis) construct a time machine at the behest of their father (Dominique Pinon) to bring her back from the dead. Their efforts look promising when they accidentally transport part of a chicken to another realm. This breakthrough leads to a series of increasingly tragic choices that lead to the destruction of their quietly maintained, grief-fueled existence.
A sleepy psychedelic journey into the despair of grief, She Loved Blossoms More is a middling sci-fi horror affair.
The reminders of their mother haunt the house long before their exploits take the brothers to another dimension. Lingering perfume, a dead garden, her wardrobe being used as the conduit to bring her back. These relics show how even though she is no longer of this earth, her presence remains. A typical trapping for horror films exploring grief, She Loved Blossoms More examines how the brothers deal with loss. Unhealthy coping mechanisms abound in this household. Either throwing themselves into their work, drugs, or women, the boys are simply not well. The delicate balance they achieve persists until the breakthrough on their time machine.
She Loved Blossoms More takes these ideas further by using the glitchy time machine as a metaphor for the family’s grief. Each time they send a creature to the other dimension, it comes back changed in some monstrous way. Gradually, the transformations look less painful, but they still unsettle all the same. Eventually, the decision is made to send one of the boys to the other dimension to right an egregious wrong. Once there, they finally confront the reality of losing their mother and how bringing her back may not be the answer to their problems.
Despite its meaty commentary, the story loses steam due to the film’s pacing. More content to languidly pass through the trippy visuals than focus on the boys’ destruction, She Loved Blossoms More is more plodding than deliberate. Ensuring the audience is reminded of just how desperate this family is to bring their mother back and why that it is bad for them, She Loved Blossoms More returns to the idea in as many ways it can before reaching its finale. In of itself, this is fine, but She Loved Blossoms More seems to repeat itself more than actually supporting its argument.
Its strength lies in its beautiful visuals and its special effects triumphs. The hazy, dream-like atmosphere of She Loved Blossoms More promises viewers a mind-melting experience. Confidently shot, She Loved Blossoms More finds beauty in getting lost in grief, implying that the consequences of reminiscing for better days when they have long since passed. Accompanying the photography is the strange and captivating special effects marvels. When a film calls for an interdimensional chicken torso, a time traveling wardrobe, and a talking flower that resembles a vagina, it’s necessary that it pulls off the wild task. And She Loved Blossoms More does just that. Each oddity comes to life in natural ways that make this weird world come to life.
Fans of more cerebral horror may find more to chew on in She Loved Blossoms More, even if those who cannot get onboard with its languid approach find it tough. Its wavy approach to the fantastic should be a slam dunk for the indie, but unfortunately its plodding script doesn’t provide much payoff for viewers, patient or otherwise. Striking cinematography and dazzling special effects prop up the film where its story fails, making for some effective visual moments. All in all, it’s a wash. Great ideas are interspersed in a familiar tale of grief without much new to say. Still, She Loved Blossoms More, is worth giving a chance. Maybe this slow burn indie film featuring an inter-dimensional chicken might be more up your alley.
Overall Score? 5/10
