Short Review: Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, 2005)

This a bizarre film. Timed to near-perfection the seemingly meandering plot is full of surprises and a series of brilliant performances. Bill Murray (in a role rivaling his nominated performance in Lost in Translation), Jeffrey Wright (hilarious as his sleuth-obsessed neighbor Winston), and Sharon Stone, Francis Conroy and Jessica Lange as the ex-girlfriends he visits, are all fantastic. Broken Flowers is a film that demands your attention but subtly rewards you with a series of entertaining encounters between Bill Murray and a variety of unique individuals as he partakes his road-trip. His mission is to discover which of his ex-flames had communicated with him via a pink letter about a son he never knew existed. Murray's world-weary, disinterested expression throughout the film is also very amusing. The flashing drive-by cinematography is beautiful and the soundtrack very unique. Broken Flowers was a hit at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and now after my third viewing - yes, I admit it takes a few to grasp, I can certainly recommend it.

My Rating: 4 Stars (B+)