Review of Bellflower (2011) by Chris S — 25 Aug 2011

Once you've seen a massive amount of movies, you begin to realize that the less you know about a movie going into it the better it will be that first viewing. I've gotten to the point now where I'll avoid trailers to some movies until after I've seen it. With Bellflower, I followed this guideline as closely as possible. I never saw a trailer or had even heard of the film until recently. I read one line of the summary and immediately knew I was interested in seeing it. "Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building Mad Max-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse." That was all that was needed. Fortunately, it worked out as Bellflower is one of the most fascinating films of the year.

Bellflower has a rather unique intro. Key moments in a film you have yet to see play backwards before we fade to black, the opening credits fade-in, we get a quote from Lord Humungus from The Road Warrior, and we overhear Aiden (Tyler Dawson) and Woodrow (Evan Glodell) having a conversation about preparing for the potential apocalypse. If you're like me then the Mad Max portion of the story is what will reel you in, but it's really only a passenger in the metaphorical car that drives this film. However Aiden and Woodrow's Mad Max obsession gets plenty of screen time. There are countless discussions about Mad Max, Lord Humungus, and the apocalypse that they know may or may not happen. But they spend most of their spare time building flamethrowers and a muscle car named Medusa that would more than likely make Mad Max a little jealous. The truth is that if this movie interests you in any way, the apocalypse is something you either believe will happen one day or is something that at least intrigues you in some way. Seeing two guys capitalize on that interest and actually prepare for the end of the world is probably something you only fantasize about. Seeing all that play out on screen is kind of like watching a dream become a reality to a what-if situation.

With the rest of their time, Aiden and Woodrow pretty much just get wasted and try to pick up women. That's where Milly (Jessie Wiseman) and Courtney (Rebekah Brandes) come in. The film is mostly driven by the friendship between Aiden and Woodrow and the blossoming relationship that develops between Woodrow and Milly. The best part is that their chemistry is spot-on. You really believe that Aiden and Woodrow have been best friends for years and you can feel the spark between Woodrow and Milly. Their dialogue flows naturally and sounds like something anyone would say in that given situation. Despite awkward events like getting punched in the face and doing something crazy like driving to Texas, Woodrow and Milly have the perfect first date anyone would dream of having. These relationships are charming, amusing, and laugh out loud funny at times which is exactly what on-screen relationships should be.

Apocalyptic connoisseurs and relatable relationships and dialogue aren't enough though; Bellflower eventually takes a dark turn and dives headfirst into black, disturbing territory in its second half. It becomes captivating for an entirely different set of reasons compared to what transpired in the first fifty minutes or so. Milly does something incredibly devastating to her relationship with Woodrow that causes him to get into an accident and jump-start a new agenda. Breakup actions are put into motion, extremes are taken, and Courtney starts to become a bigger part of the picture. The way these characters lives quickly disintegrate, tempers escalate, and actions reach explosive heights is where the balls of the film would be located if it was a living, breathing being.

Bellflower also has this grungy and unique look to it. Cinematographer Joel Hodge deserves much of that credit. His sense of perspective is quite spectacular. This is best illustrated during just about any of the driving sequences. A fantastic eye for intriguing angles and shots will only help make a finished film that much more powerful and Hodge does that with ease. Writer/director/producer/editor/lead actor Evan Glodell should also get a nod. Glodell built the camera that shot Bellflower out of vintage camera parts, bellows and Russian lenses, around the Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini Digital Cinema camera. If you check out the video, the entire thing seems like absolute hell to pick up and move frequently, let alone shoot an entire film with. It did pay off though as the entire movie looks outstanding.

Bellflower is the purest form of masculinity that could be put to film. If you took the vehicles and weapons out of Mad Max and threw them into modern society, you'd scratch the surface of the story Bellflower is trying to tell. It's a love story first and dramatic and action-heavy second. The genuine chemistry amongst the cast is a driving factor, as well. With natural dialogue, realistic relationships that are easy to relate to, spectacular cinematography, and a fantastically disturbing downward spiral that is just as engrossing as it is insane, Bellflower spends just as much time building and delivering a solid and satisfying piece of cinema that it does constructing flamethrowers and muscle cars.