Blu-ray Review: ‘Bellflower’ Tries to Set Heartbreak on Fire

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CHICAGO – “Bellflower” is another indie drama about romance gone horribly awry. And yet it’s also not “another” anything. With unique style choices and competing streaks of nihilism, romantic love, and misogyny, star/writer/director Evan Glodell’s debut made waves in certain circles and now comes to Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of one of the most impressive home release studios on the market, Oscilloscope. The film is such a dark slice of work that it will only appeal to a certain audience but at least Oscilloscope treats the fans of this likely cult classic well.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

Is this the calling card of the next indie maverick? Is it “Reservoir Dogs” for Generation, what are we on now, Z? I’m not sure. There’s an undeniably engaging style here, in no small part due to the homemade cameras Glodell used for production that often have focus and cleanliness issues, and the film builds to levels of intensity not often seen in the arthouse romance, but there’s also a too-pronounced emphasis on style over character and some issues with violence, especially against women, that can’t be denied. I like “Bellflower” as an exercise in style — mumblecore meets the apocalypse — but don’t actually enjoy it that much as a film.

Best friends Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson) are getting ready for the apocalypse. Having grown up on “Mad Max” the way that most kids grow up on “Star Wars,” these two spend WAY too much time making flame-spewing devices and drawing sketches of the gang that they will lead after the end of the world. But what happens when love invades the fantasy world?

Bellflower
Photo credit: Disney

Such is the case when Woodrow meets Milly (Jessie Wiseman), a headstrong girl who challenges him in a cricket-eating competition and swoons when he tells her that he’s building a flamethrower. An impromptu road trip in a “James Bond car for drunks” completely throws off the relationships on either side of the young love. Aiden doesn’t quite know it yet but he feels a bit betrayed by Woodrow’s new obsession and Milly’s got an unusual social life to say the least. It all builds, slowly at first and then very abruptly to betrayal and some crazy, ultra-violent behavior. Or does it?

Bellflower was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 15th, 2011 Photo credit: Oscilloscope

Is “Bellflower” ABOUT misanthropic behavior or does it support it? By portraying such over-the-top, often-loathsome people with such heavy doses of indie style, isn’t Evan Glodell glamorizing it? And if not, what’s the point? “Bellflower” doesn’t quite work as character study and is too stylish to come off as cautionary tale about testosterone levels turned up to eleven. I like “Bellflower” as a “let’s see what he does next” debut simply because there’s a lot of promise here in all three aspects of Glodell’s work (acting, writing, directing), but I wish I believed more of the action of it. In particular, the romance feels too arthouse cliched and the friendship between Woodrow and Aiden often feels forced — a bit too much “dude,” smiling, and generally goofy behavior. And the sense of impending dread adds to the feeling that everyone is just killing time until they can blow sh*t up.

And when they do? The final act of “Bellflower” sent some critics running for the door and it’s easy to see why. Is it a commentary on male fantasies of violence against the women that betrayed them and the end of the world? Or is it just an example of violent behavior to glamorize it? I’m still not sure. You decide.

Synopsis:
Bellflower, a heartfelt story of obsession, friendship, young love gone awry, and an angst-ridden critique of and from Generation Y, is the debut feature from the mad scientist of a filmmaker Evan Glodell.

Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building Mad Max-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse. But when Woodrow meets a charismatic young women named Milly and falls hard in love, he and Aiden quickly join a group of friends, setting off on a journey of love and hate, betrayal, infidelity, and extreme violence more devastating and fiery than any other of their apocalyptic fantasies.

Filmed using Glodell’s custom-built cameras and showcasing his real-life creations (among them, homemade flamethrowers and the fire-spewing 1972 Buick Skylark, Medusa), Bellflower is a hallucinatory and wholly unique ride.

Special Features:
o Behind The Scenes Of Bellflower - Featuring interviews with the cast and crew, on set footage, and more
o Medusa Rundown - An in-depth look at the hand-built car
o Outtakes From The Set
o Original Theatrical Trailer

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com