Geeks on Film: Bellflower [Review]

No matter how you feel about Bellflower, the first feature film by Evan Glodell, you have to admit his voice is one of the most original in indie film in the last few years. Bellflower is an obsessive work by an engineer turned filmmaker, who gives us a stark look at relationships from a very male point of view.
The film is the story of two friends, Woodrow and Aiden, who are busy planning for their life in a post apocalyptic world. They have a gang called Mother Medusa, a badass tricked-out car and a flamethrower. But things change when Woodrow gets a girlfriend and catches her cheating on him.
The film’s ultimate apocalypse turns out to be a very personal one as Woodrow violently struggles to make sense of his crumbling world around him.
The first thing that strikes you about Bellfower is the look of the film, with its grittiness and documentary-like feel contrasted by some really beautiful, almost dreamlike sequences. That coupled with solid performances from the cast of up and coming actors adds a level of realism you hardly see on the big screen today.
While I enjoyed the overall story of the film, I felt the pacing in the second act could use some work. Bellflower is the definition of a singular voice in a film and makes no compromises. Which is both the film’s strength and ultimately its greatest weakness. Bellflower is probably the manliest relationship film ever made and a great example of true DIY filmmaking in this digital age and with that I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Bellflower opens today at the Ritz at the Bourse.











