Yannis Veslemes’ She Loved Blossoms More has just received its world premiere at this year’s TriBeCa. A strange slice of experimental science fiction, She Loved Blossoms More is a film that requires a lot of concentration whilst watching, and then plenty of dissection after viewing.
The plot, as loose as it is, joins three brothers – Hedgehog (Panos Papadopoulos), Japan (Aris Balis) and Dummy (Julio Katsis) – as they try to advance science. The trio are working on the creation of a time machine in the hopes of resurrecting their deceased mother. She Loved Blossoms More joins the story many months into their attempts, the viewer dropped into the madness of their experimentations. And madness really is the keyword as their laboratory is a straight out of H. P Lovecraft’s nightmares. The appearance of their working area is cyberpunk meets steampunk with analogue machinery reigning supreme over digital. The environment is dark and dank, and even before witnessing any of their research, a foreboding atmosphere permeates the screen.
She Loved Blossoms More is populated by masses of striking imagery. From skinless and headless creatures, to hallucinogenic moments of surrealism, the visuals are arresting and hard to forget. Veslemes utilises practical puppetry to fantastic effect and settling down to watch She Loved Blossoms More is like transporting oneself to another dimension. Each scene is bathed in saturated colour; a close comparison to explain its use of colour would be Flatliners. Both films capture that macabre nature of headstrong scientists, only the devastation here is far more dingy and extreme. She Loved Blossoms More’s strangeness is matched by its beauty, as no matter how disturbing the images on screen become, they never lose their enchantment.
In addition to the unforgettable imagery, this is a film that thrives on its weirdness. Some could pass it off as an attempt to re-mould films such as The Fly, but Veslemes’ movie is even far more kooky and obscure than the work of Cronenberg. Its strangeness won’t be to all tastes, but those with an open mind and a fondness for surrealism will be richly rewarded. She Loved Blossoms More exists to tantalise and disturb on every level, ensuring it to be a film whose visuals will haunt the mind for days after.
She Loved Blossoms More
Summary
An arresting splice of experimental science fiction, She Loved Blossoms More may have a story that is simpler than you think, but far stranger than you can imagine.
She Loved Blossoms More was reviewed at TriBeCa 2024.
