[Tribeca 2024] SHE LOVED BLOSSOMS MORE -- Arresting Visuals Compensate for Limp Characters

Review by Daniel Lima

The more films one sees, the more appreciative one gets when something comes along that displays a unique and singular vision, even if it doesn’t all neatly come together. She Loved Blossoms More, the second feature from Yannis Veslemes, toys with a lot of ideas, both narrative and visual, not all of which feel adequately explored. However, the commitment to trying out these ideas goes a long way in making this a strangely compelling experience.

Three brothers live secluded in an old mansion, their family home. Funded by a mysterious benefactor, they perform experiments with a device that allows for travel between dimensions in an effort to bring their mother back from the dead. That description implies a more straightforward story than what is actually offered; for the most part, the three brothers hang out and get on each other’s nerves, and interlopers and their own attempts to alleviate their misery stymie their scientific progress. 

Though the low-budget film is entirely set in and around one house, the space is filled and shot in an utterly captivating fashion. The production design is impeccable, not only because of the many impressive and gnarly practical effects but also because of how it brings to life an ancestral home turned into a workspace for three unsupervised young men. The grounds have been overtaken by unkempt foliage, the rooms and hallways cluttered with stray bits of technology and books, the furniture old relics of their own childhood, the walls chipped and dirtied. The neglect and lack of care reflect the goals and personalities of the characters and give the setting a truly lived-in feel.

​Tight compositions and fisheye lenses constrain the image, creating a sense of claustrophobia and anxiety that grows suffocating as the mental strain on the brothers increases. There is a textured look that, if not the result of actual film stock, adds a certain weight to the image, and the neon lighting that reflects the characters’ casual use of psychotropics gives the most surreal sequences a certain flair. All of this cleverly makes the most of the production’s meager means.

The characters themselves, however, are not nearly as interesting as how they are captured. While the twisted nature of this family begins with an Oedipal edge and slowly reveals darker layers, the brothers are simply not particularly fun to be around, lacking discernible personalities beyond laconic, also laconic, and deadbeat. As twisty as their interpersonal drama becomes, it ultimately relies on the audience being invested in their goals and well-being. That context required comes far too late to engender any sympathy for them.

The principal leads do what they can with what they are given, but it is Sandra Sarafanova who steals the show. The girlfriend of one of the brothers, she arrives in the house and takes full command of every scene she is in — playful, charming, and sensual at all times. She is a breath of life in a setting purposefully designed to be stodgy, and it would be wonderful if this were the start of a fruitful career.

She Loved Blossoms More is a film that is technically impressive and occasionally even enchanting. Though the thematic exploration of grief falters without anything to ground it, the visual language is engaging enough to make it a worthwhile watch.

She Loved Blossoms More is screening at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, which runs June 5-16

Rating: 3/5