Movie Review: Flora and Son (2023)
It’s not really the number of chords. It’s how you use them. -00:19:02
Music possesses a power to reunite a family which has fallen apart. Through music, two can fall in love despite not seeing each other yet.
Flora (Eve Hewson) might not be the best of a mother for his son, Max (Oren Kinlan). They are often engaged in a quarrel and she even wishes him to be in jail. She doesn’t remember Max’s birthday, either. This broken mother-and-son relationship is probably caused by the unprepared pregnancy of a young Flora, added with her being left alone by her partner back then.
This movie tells us the dynamics of Flora’s daily life, the main character. She loves to go to night club and get acquainted with some new random guys, despite ending up being rejected for having a kid. She takes up a babysitter job too, while recently she started taking an online guitar course, conducted by Jack (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).
From tens of online tutors she met on the internet, Jack is the only one who successfully attracts Flora’s eyes with his unique approach. On his prologue video, Jack says that learning to play guitar is like developing a lifetime relationship, in which filled with joy, calm, peace. Things that are non-existent in Flora’s life.
Acquaintance with Jack and music slowly changes Flora. She starts to be able to build up a good conversation with Jack, although it’s only about their music preferences. It serves as a major step towards a rejuvenated mother-and-son relationship. She understands that Max’s fondness on electronic music needs to be supported, instead of forcing him to also learn playing acoustic guitar. Flora, along with her ex-husband and Max, can reunite and eventually perform some music at local bar.
Jack and Flora ultimately produce a song. The lyrics strongly related to their cities, Los Angeles and Dublin, brings about a lovely meaning to the creation. Using only 5 chords throughout the song, there comes “Meet in the Middle”. I bet you will love this song!
As an audience, I have high hopes that they could meet “in the middle”, living the love which has grown and not just on the screen. Will be more exciting if they were able to complete the bridge part of the song.
—
Translated by Daniel Kinantyo
@danielkinantyoc on Instagram
