2 months ago, I helped arrange

a screening of a movie for a group of friends. This tradition started new years eve, when I had arranged a screening of movie that hadn't opened in our area, and I felt a select few would enjoy. The movie at that time was MILLION DOLLAR BABY, and thus, the tradition of impromptu screenings was born.

This past while, the movie that we screened was BROKEN FLOWERS, and it got a good reception at the screening. Now that it's opened, I thought I'd go revisit it and see it with a paying audience.

The movie stars Bill Murray as Don Johnston (that's with a T), a guy who as the movie opens is being dumped by his latest girlfriend. He goes through the motions trying to beg her to stay, but you can see in his eyes that his heart really isn't in it, he's been down this road before. She leaves, and he just sits on his couch, watching TV, getting back into his life.
We don't know much about Don, just that he's made his money from working with computers. Strangely enough Don doesn't have a computer anywhere in his house. His next door neighbour and best friend Winston (played brilliantly by Jeffrey Wright) gives Don the occassional distant, safe glimpse into family life, which makes suits him fine.
One day, Don gets a letter informing him that he has a son, and that he may get a visit from him very soon. The letter is typed, and there is no return address on the envelope.

Winston, eyes the letter with great interest. He loves mystery novels, and sees the letter as a mystery to solve. Don sees the letter as a question he doesn't want the answer to, and a disruption to his comfortable lifestyle. Winston soon has Don make a list of girlfriends from that time. Winston takes the list, tracks the women down, and creates an itineray and tells Don to go visit each girl and talk to them. Don realizes that it would be easier to go, than argue with Winston. When Don does agree to go, we start see cracks in his front and begin to see what he's really feeling underneath.

The film is more about self-exploration than the trip itself. What gets me about the movie is how you never get any backstory about the characters, especially Don. There are questions: How did he get his money? what did he do to these women? how did he get the way he is? After about 10 minutes into the movie, you suddenly don't CARE about those questions, you just accept them. The past doesn't matter.

Its said that director Jim Jarmusch wrote this movie with Bill Murray in mind for the role. It was a perfect choice. Murray gives his best performance since Lost in Translation, and this should finally give him the Oscar he deserves. His performance is low key, and draws you in to the movie. The one scene that stands out in my mind, even after all this time is when Murray goes to a cemetary to visit the grave of one of the women, and suddenly, all the emotions he's kept in check all these years just wells up and finally comes to the surface. The shot of Murray, just sitting in the rain, having tears rolling down his face, along with the raindrops will be one of the most memorable movie scenes I'll remember from 2005.

Hollywood has shovelled out a lot of shit this year, and it gets tiring trying to slog through it all to find something that is worth seeing. BROKEN FLOWERS is the diamond in the mountain of shit, and is the only other movie since Crash that I feel I got my money's worth. Hunt this movie down, and see it.

Broken Flowers (A)