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There's a common phrase that says "love is like a plant" or "a flower". The "punchline" may vary slightly, though; "You've got to let it grow", "you've got to care for it", "it needs constant feeding"... but it all boils down to the same principle. You can't just sit and hope for "the plant" (i.e. love) to survive without care and attention. That's part of the background to this Puerto Rican short film.
400 Petals follows the relationship of René and Sol (Esteban Ruiz and Anna Malavé). The short opens with René buying a marigold for Sol's birthday, early in their relationship. The florist tells him that some people believe that its petals "retain the warmth of the sun" which she calls a "nice coincidence". As time passes, we see René and Sol's relationship go through ups and downs, and with every "down", a petal of the flower drops. What will happen when the last one falls?
My wife found this short a couple of weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It really shines through its simplicity, thanks to a nice script and a solid performance by Ruiz. Malavé is solid, but Ruiz is the one that has the focus. And that might be one of the flaws of the short. Although it does try its best to keep a balanced perspective, it can't help but favor René's point of view and perspective, while leaving Sol on the sidelines.
However, I have to give props to writer and director Angelie García for avoiding some of the typical tropes of other romcoms and actually surprising me in the end. In the end, we get to see that it's up to us to put all the necessary care in our relationships, even if all the petals seem to fall from it.
Grade:
400 PETALS
(2020, García)
Freebie
(2020, García)
Freebie
"What's gonna happen when the last petal falls?"
There's a common phrase that says "love is like a plant" or "a flower". The "punchline" may vary slightly, though; "You've got to let it grow", "you've got to care for it", "it needs constant feeding"... but it all boils down to the same principle. You can't just sit and hope for "the plant" (i.e. love) to survive without care and attention. That's part of the background to this Puerto Rican short film.
400 Petals follows the relationship of René and Sol (Esteban Ruiz and Anna Malavé). The short opens with René buying a marigold for Sol's birthday, early in their relationship. The florist tells him that some people believe that its petals "retain the warmth of the sun" which she calls a "nice coincidence". As time passes, we see René and Sol's relationship go through ups and downs, and with every "down", a petal of the flower drops. What will happen when the last one falls?
My wife found this short a couple of weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It really shines through its simplicity, thanks to a nice script and a solid performance by Ruiz. Malavé is solid, but Ruiz is the one that has the focus. And that might be one of the flaws of the short. Although it does try its best to keep a balanced perspective, it can't help but favor René's point of view and perspective, while leaving Sol on the sidelines.
However, I have to give props to writer and director Angelie García for avoiding some of the typical tropes of other romcoms and actually surprising me in the end. In the end, we get to see that it's up to us to put all the necessary care in our relationships, even if all the petals seem to fall from it.
Grade: