"Little Joe" When the flower blooms, the concept of happiness disappears - mysterious art horror

"Little Joe" synopsis

Alice (Emily Beecham), a researcher working at a biotechnology company to develop new plant species, is a single mother who lives with her son Joe (Kit Connor). She succeeded in developing a crimson flower that not only looks beautiful but also has special effects. It is said that the flower will bring happiness to its owner if certain conditions are met. The conditions are: 1. Be sure to grow it in a warm place, 2. Water it every day, and 3. Above all, love it. In violation of company policy, Alice takes home a pot of flowers as a gift for her son and names it "Little Joe." As Hana grows, her son begins to act strangely. Alice's co-worker Bella (Kerry Fox) becomes convinced that her dog Vero has been acting strange ever since he was locked in Little Joe's greenhouse overnight, and begins to suspect that flower pollen may be the culprit. Alice's assistant, Chris (Ben Whishaw), also inhales Little Joe's pollen and is acting different than usual. Is this strange feeling that something is going wrong little by little caused by this plant?

Index

• Wins Best Actress Award at Cannes Film Festival
• Beautiful chaos created by shakuhachi, Japanese drums, and vivid colors
• The presence of flowers arouses the fear of not being able to understand others.
• Describing the diversity of “definitions of happiness” with a horror taste

Wins Best Actress Award at Cannes Film Festival

A crimson flower created to bring happiness to people.

Will that scent lead to liberation or slavery?

The 72nd Cannes Film Festival was held in 2019. `` ParasiteOr , the Best Director went to the Dardenne brothers for `` Touch Me '', and the Best Actor went to Antonio Banderas for `` Pain and Glory '' (19). was awarded. All of them are masterpieces, but the one that won the fierce competition and won the Best Actress Award will be released in Japan. ``Little Joe'' (19) starring Emily Beecham.

To put it simply, ``Little Joe'' is a chilling art horror. The film depicts the terrifying situation brought about by a ``flower that makes people happy'' created by researchers through selective breeding. When I write this, some people may be wondering if this is a monster movie! However, the flower "Little Joe" that appears in this film does not grow into a giant monster and go on a rampage. However, it gradually strengthens its presence and begins to dominate humans. In that sense, it may indeed be a monster movie.

First of all, I would like to introduce the synopsis. Researcher Alice (Emily Beecham) has succeeded in developing an innovative flower. Flowers are not ``flowers that can be left alone'' that suit the busy lifestyles of modern people, but ``flowers that will wither if not taken care of regularly.Instead, the more you love them, the more they secrete ``happiness ingredients.'' "something like. Raise them in a warm environment, water them daily, and talk to them. The concept is that interacting with people as a kind of "family" can have a healing effect.

"Little Joe" trailer

She named the crimson flower "Little Joe" after her son. Desperate to please her son Joe (Kit Connor), she breaks company rules and takes a flower home to raise, but soon Joe begins to act strangely. At the same time, Alice's assistant Chris (Ben Whishaw), who inhaled Little Joe's pollen, and Alice's colleague Bella (Kerry Fox)'s pet dog Vero also notice something strange. Is this Little Joe's work?

This horrifying yet sweet film was created by director Jessica Hausner, a regular in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. He is a talented actor who won the International Federation of Critics Award at the 66th Venice International Film Festival for `` At the Fountain of Lourdes '' (2009), which starred Léa Seydoux. His fifth feature film, Little Joe, was selected for the competition section of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival.

Along with this film, other films selected for the competition include the aforementioned ``Parasite,'' ``Pain and Glory,'' and ``Until You Touch Me,'' as well as Quentin Tarantino's ` `Once Upon a Time in Hollywood '' (19), Jim Jarmusch's ` `The Dead Don't Die '' (19), Xavier Dolan's `` Matthias & Maxime '' (19), Ken Loach's `` Family' ' Works by famous directors such as `` The Time '' (2019) and Terrence Malick's `` A Nameless Life '' (1919). Once you get into it, you'll realize that director Hausner and Little Joe had high expectations.

It may seem a bit surprising that such an edgy story would be chosen, but at the 71st Cannes Film Festival held the previous year, ` `Under the Silver Lake '' (18) won the competition section and `` Border' '. ``Border '' (18) was selected in the ``Un Certain Regard'' category. The previous year, at the 70th Cannes Film Festival, `` The Killing of a Sacred Deer '' (17) and `` Jupiter's Moon '' (17) were in competition, and `` The Walking Invader '' ( 17) was selected in the ``Un Certain Regard'' category, and it can be said that the conditions for acceptance were well established.

Beautiful chaos created by shakuhachi, Japanese drums, and vivid colors