Bellflower (2011)

Directed by: Evan Glodell | 106 minutes | action, drama, romance | Actors: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes, Vincent Grashaw, Zack Kraus, Keghan Hurst, Alexandra Boylan, Bradshaw Pruitt, Brian Thomas Evans, Britta Jacobellis, Ceaser Flores, Chris Snyder, Dan Dulle, Jon Huck

With a fondness for ‘Mad Max 2’ – better known to enthusiasts as ‘Road Warrior’ – Woodrow and Aiden decide to make a car with a flamethrower in Evan Glodell’s ‘Bellflower’. While Woodrow’s heart is stolen by the free spirit Milly, construction on the car lurks in the background. A project that can only end badly.

It’s clear that ‘Bellflower’ was a big project for Evan Glodell, who directed, produced, wrote, edited and starred the film. The predilection for the drabness of ‘Mad Max 2’ on the one hand and the more accessible and conventional indie dramas on the other makes a special combination that may not always work, but does make the film interesting enough to watch. The plot is insane to work though, and the forays into romance are bearable, though not too well acted, as the escalation threatens beneath the surface. It just seems as if Glodell couldn’t make a definitive choice between a gray and gritty drama, or a beautiful independent film that every moviegoer could identify with. As is often the case, ‘Bellflower’ fluctuates somewhat between these two extreme ways of interpreting a film, and the balance does not even seem to be right at the moments when a form is indeed chosen.

The gritty parts are the better parts of the film, with the building of the car called ‘Mother Medusa’ at the heart. The flamethrower easily burns through the conventions, but finds itself pushed back by the romances that the protagonists seem forced to undergo. For example, ‘Bellflower’ is a pleasantly strange film, but not the classic that filmmaker (and former cinematographer) Evan Glodell might have hoped for. But with a budget of about $17,000, the result is astonishing. Entertaining, with a strong starting point and a cool finale. Nevertheless, the film ultimately gives us nostalgia for ‘Mad Max 2’, where we see conflicts resolved in a much more drastic way. It’s the level Glodell is aiming for, but he doesn’t achieve it. So he’s not George Miller yet.