Flora and Son
- By Ken Werther
Flora (Eve Hewson), a single mother living in Dublin, is having trouble with her estranged son Max (Orén Kinlan), a rebellious teenaged petty thief who is also navigating his first crush. On a quest to find Max a hobby, Flora rescues an old guitar from a skip bin (what Ireland calls a dumpster) and, with the help of Jeff, a Los Angeles-based online guitar teacher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), discovers that one person’s rubbish can be another person’s salvation. Flora and Son is directed by John Carney (Modern Love, Once, Begin Again) and features original songs by Carney and Scottish musician and songwriter Gary Clark, with Clark also writing the score. The two men previously collaborated on music for film, stage, and television.
Flora and Son had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and had a limited theatrical release in September. It is now streaming on Apple TV+ worldwide. The cast also includes Jack Reynor, Don Wycherley, Sophie Vavasseur, and Kelly Thornton. Of the movie, the Rotten Tomatoes website’s consensus says, “Another music-fueled crowd pleaser from writer-director John Carney, Flora and Son proves almost impossible to resist.” The music really brings this tale of family, love of music, and artistic ability together. I loved the story. It’s heartwarming and funny! I am a big fan of John Carney films, and his latest does not disappoint!
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