Bellflower [USA, 2011]

Nine Things About the Movie Bellflower

1. I usually find romantic dramas to be predictable and boring. But this movie is a rare exception.

2. It’s about two best friends, Aiden and Woodrow, who moved to California together to make their lives different. They spend their spare time (which they have a lot of) fantasizing about what they would do during the apocalypse. They build “Mad Max”-inspired cars and flamethrowers as their hobby.

3. Woodrow falls in love with a girl named Milly, and Aiden starts spending time with a girl named Courtney. They embark on their respective relationships, which are realistic and heartfelt. But halfway through the movie, things go bad. There is cheating, car accidents, brain damage, and betrayal.

4. The last half hour of the movie splits into two different timelines, and it is up to you to decide which one is the real one and which one is imaginary.

5.  The movie works largely because of the two lead actors. Tyler Dawson plays Aiden and Evan Glodell plays Woodrow (Glodell also wrote and directed the movie). It’s one of the best portrayals of adult male best friends I’ve ever seen. They perfectly illustrate the young adult male psyche dealing with love, friendship, and the realization that idealism rusts away, that changing where you live doesn't change who you are.

6.The cinematography by Joel Hodge is very unique. Beautiful macro shots combine with dirty lenses and grungy perspectives to give the film a look I’ve never seen before. It was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.

7.  No matter which version of the timeline you believe, if you watch all the way through the credits you may get confused again.

8.  The movie shows that some apocalypses really do happen. But they are not global, they are personal.

9. This movie is a beautiful emo-hipster tragedy, and is further proof that some great movies never make it to your local pop culture movie theater.