FLOWER – Review

(l-r) Dylan Gelula as Kala, Zoey Deutch as Erica, and Maya Eshet as Claudine, in Max Winkler’s FLOWER. Photo courtesy of The Orchard.

Director Max Winkler takes the “troubled teen” concept of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and refreshes it by casting a 17-year-old girl as the teen. FLOWER is a film that at first looks like a trashy “bad girl” tale takes an unexpected detour into fresh territory, becoming an unexpected and affecting mix of dark humor and human drama leading to self-discovery and a satisfying end.

Director Max Winkler (CEREMONY) took any unusual approach with what had been considered an un-producible script by young adult author Alex McAuley. The director re-worked the script with co-writer Matt Spicer (INGRID GOES WEST) then hired as many women as he could for his film crew, including director of photography Carolina Costa, and actually actively listened to them, along with his lead actress Zoey Deutch (BEFORE I FALL), about the character and the story. The goal was to inject as much authenticity into the characters and story as possible.

By trusting that women would know more about the inner life of a 17-year-old girl than a man would, Winkler was able to transform the script and character, so that what could have been a sleazy “bad girl” film is transformed into a much more interesting, entertaining film with a complex lead character and richer, more human coming-of-age tale.

Upbeat, outgoing California teen Erica Vandross (Zoey Deutch) looks like a fresh-faced innocent with her long blonde hair, jeans and Timberlands but she is a kind of female version of a juvenile delinquent. We first meet her as she and her two buddies Kala (Dylan Gelula) and Claudine (Maya Eshet) secretly video a local cop in a compromising position with Erica. After taunting the cop as a sexual predator and threatening to release the video, they tell him they will accept money for their silence.

It looks like a well-practiced routine. The girls see themselves as sort of crusaders against sexual predators but really it is just extortion. While the other girls quickly revert to typical teens, giggling and talking spending their money at the mall, Erica never spends her hers, because she is saving it for a special project. Instead she goes home, records her “earnings” on her laptop, and then listens to music in her room and plays with her pet rat.

Erica lives with her single mom Laurie (Kathryn Hahn), who raised her after her dad left. Nonetheless, Erica adores her dad, a small-time criminal who is in prison awaiting trial. Erica barely tolerates her mom’s new boyfriend Bob (Tim Heidecker) and is unhappy to learn Bob’s mentally unstable teen-aged son Luke (Joey Morgan), who is being released from rehab, is coming to live with them. Hoping that at least her new “stepbrother” will be hot, Erica is disappointed to find Luke is painfully shy and overweight. Still, Erica hatches a plan to get revenge on a teacher (Adam Scott) who reportedly molested Luke.

Mother and daughter are close but it is a dysfunctional relationship in which strong-willed Erica has the real power. Yet despite the confident, rebellious facade Erica presents to the world, she is still a child underneath, with all the insecurities of adolescence. Erica is smart, charismatic and self-confident but she is headed down the same criminal path as the father she loves. There is nothing in the modest way she dresses that suggests this but Erica prides herself on being an expert at oral sex, although she does not see it as sex. She has no problem using it to shake down men is public positions like the cop, or at any other time, since it has no meaning for her.

A lot of credit has to go to the talented Zoey Deutch, who manages to make Erica someone we care about, even like, despite her troubled exterior. Deutch skillfully conveys the insecurities and inner conflicts of this girl beneath her self-confident surface, and manages to touch the hearts of viewers.

As the film unfolds, Erica’s dysfunctional approach to life is transformed and she gains insights on herself and others. When Erica first meets Luke, she is rude to him. Likewise, the audience’s first impression of Luke is off-putting. But as Morgan, who also delivers a surprisingly strong performance, and Deutch develop their characters and their relationship evolves, an unexpected flowering happens, taking the film is unexpected but satisfying directions.

Despite Zoey Deutch’s affecting performance, audience members may be put off by Erica’s unsavory behavior, at least initially, even though we have seen equally troubled young male characters at the center countless films. Erica is no role model and parents might keep that in mind. FLOWER is more a film about teens for adults than teen movie.

FLOWER is a film that rewards audiences who do not take its lead character at face value but give in to Zoey Deutch’s charm and let her character grow up throughout the film. Zoey Deutch creates a compelling, ultimately touching lead character and the film is a strong portrait of the perils of coming-of-age for young women. Director Max Winkler’s decision to hire women and then listen to their input on this character is what transforms this tale into the refreshing and surprising film it is, a welcome break from ordinary.

FLOWER opens in St. Louis on Friday, March 30, at Landmark’s Tivoli Theater.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars