Woodrow (Evan Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson) spend their free time designing a Mad Max inspired flamethrower and dreaming of an apocalyptic future in which they drive around in a fire-breathing car they’ve dubbed “Mother Medusa”. This is Bellflower. This is a romance.
Following a research test in which they decide diesel is the better option over propane for their flamethrower, Woodrow and Aiden head out for a night of cricket eating competitions, beer and flirting. Yes, these two guys aren’t leading lives I’d refer to as mainstream, but cricket eating eventually leads to Woodrow meeting Milly (Jessie Wiseman), a blonde bombshell he falls for immediately. However, love soon turns into fiery rage as Bellflower evolves into a romantic apocalypse that could only be a part of Woodrow and Aiden’s scorched Earth imaginations.
On top of playing the lead role, Glodell wrote and directed Bellflower, which serves as his directorial debut after working as cinematographer on a couple of shorts and an independent horror film. As a director, Glodell shows talent behind the camera and as an idea man with an inventive take on the typical romantic drama. Certainly more talent than he shows as an actor. The performances by Glodell and Dawson are decent at best, and even though I did like Wiseman as Milly, the performances still play like an independent feature.
The strength of Bellflower is in what you don’t expect. If someone were to walk into the film during the final 30 minutes they would have absolutely no idea what kind of movie they’d stumbled in on. Is it a horror? A thriller? What? It’s a romance? The explanation is simple once you’ve seen it, but the execution is incredibly unique.
Glodell’s decision to saturate the film in a sludge-like mess of blacks and tainted yellow weren’t entirely necessary and the occasional faux grit and grime filter applied to some scenes is more distracting than it is emblematic of anything overly important. But I can forgive a bit of experimentation in a film that’s all about pushing the limits and testing the boundaries of a cliched genre, and in this respect Bellflower blows the doors off.
Made on a budget of only $17,000 and using a camera Glodell specifically made for the shoot (not to mention he also made the flamethrower and put together the car), inventive meets effective, sometimes to excess but like I said, I’m willing to forgive.
My advice, before you watch this film think back to those times your heart was broken. How did it make you feel? What did you think of the person that left you shattered and alone? My assumption is your thoughts were never as dark and disturbing as Woodrow’s, and while you may not be able to relate, I think there is a level where anyone can at the very least understand the romantic tragedy on display in Bellflower.
