Flora and Son Review: The Power of a Fresh Start

Eve Hewson and Orén Kinlan in “Flora and Son”

There’s something about musical movies that get me. I don’t mean musicals (although I do have a soft spot for those from the 60s), but movies about music. I’m infatuated with films about the artistic process of making music, the ones about the emotional impact creating art can have on a person. My favorite director in this genre I’ve created for myself has always been John Carney. His critical indie darling Once put him on the map, but it was his music-centered follow ups, Begin Again and Sing Street, that made me a devoted follower. When I heard that he would be teaming up with Eve Hewson, who also stars in the incredible series Bad Sisters, I was hooked again. I’m happy to report that Carney’s latest film, Flora and Son, lives up to the hype as one of the most moving experiences you’ll have at the movies this year.

The film follows the titular mother, Flora, and her son, Max, played by Orén Kinlan, as they navigate their difficult relationship in a small Irish town. Flora had Max when she was 17-years old, and has been co-parenting with her ex, a bass player whose claim to fame is that he played the same show as Snow Patrol once. Max lashes out by committing petty crimes, but he’s always been silently passionate about one thing, music. In a desperate attempt to connect with her family, Flora decides to take up guitar and prove to the world she’s more than the life she feels stuck in.

Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in “Flora and Son”

Eve Hewson blew me away as the foul-mouthed Flora. She’s able to bring through the version of Flora that has been pushed behind a tough exterior in all the right moments. It’s a layered performance accompanied by a beautiful singing voice. Carney also shows restraint in the build up to his trademark original songs, perfectly pacing Flora discovering her voice.

To help her get there, Flora enlists the help of an online guitar teacher, Jeff, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. JGL has sorely been missing from our screens, and proves it with the warmth he emits through Jeff. He opens up Flora’s reluctant eyes to the power music can have on your soul. Through their lessons, they help each other reclaim passion that had been missing in their lives. Flora and Son is a movie about fresh starts and the bravery it sometimes takes to make the first step in the right direction.

Music is likely a core memory or bonding activity for most families. Whether it’s loving a band because your parents played it constantly in the car (Jimmy Buffett) or piling into a car together to see a concert, music can have a lasting impact. When Flora’s family seems broken beyond repair, it’s music that starts to repair the cracks.

It doesn’t hurt that like all of Carney’s pictures, the soundtrack overflows with original music you’ll have on repeat for weeks. As Jeff teaches online out of his Los Angeles home, Carney finds inventive ways to bring him and Flora together for some killer songs. This includes a standout, “Meet in the Middle”, my current frontrunner for Best Original Song. Carney also excels at using his songs as forward momentum for the plot, while still achieving standalone greatness for listening on your own later.

Flora and Son continues a hot streak for Carney and is the perfect movie to sit down and hum along to with your family. (Streaming now on Apple+). And if you see me driving, windows down blasting the soundtrack, feel free to join in. I don’t have a musical bone in my body, but its films like these that make you realize it doesn’t matter.

#319 on my Favorites List as of this review

#18 out of 62 on my Best of the Year List as of this review