And he’s back. After a two week post-oscar hiatus, the blog returns. Other than a second viewing of worthy best picture winning Parasite with the good aunt, I’ve been on a secondment. That is… until Friday where I saw a preview of a film coming up next month. I’m not saying what it was yet, otherwise that would be an act of rebellion, or …

Anyway, the next day, the stars aligned so I could go and see Little Joe. Admittedly, I didn’t really plan to go out of my way to see this as it didn’t look like my cup of tea and the general consensus was mundane. However, I rooted myself to my seat, enjoyment stemmed throughout the film and I was satisfied by the credits when it was time to leaf. [Sorry].

A Mean Green Mother From Planet Earth

Alice Woodward (Emily Beecham) is a botanical scientist, whom alongside her timid work partner Chris (Ben Whishaw) creates a special flower through genetic editing. The flower grows by being kept warm and being talked to. In response, it lets out a smell which makes people happy, like a mother. The other catch is that she made it impossible for the plant to reproduce in order to keep it valuable. Alice names the plant Little Joe after her son Joe (Kit Connor) to whom she has not been the best mother.

Strange things start happening once she takes the plant home for her son. He seems more distant and obsessed by this object. Chris is also colder and more determined to distribute the plant after he smells it. It becomes more psychological from here as we question whether the plant is behind all of this.

The tropes are all there from the prophetic crazy old woman to the tension building. There aren’t any jump-scares but it does get creepy. The plants are all rather ominous. They open slowly to release their scent and seem like living organisms. The soundtrack is really odd and at times screechy. It really adds to the sounds of the whole film.

Feed Me Seymour

The whole visual style is very rigid and formal. It’s almost symmetrical and is rather full metal jacket like as this group of plants begins to look like an armada. The luminous lighting really does show these plants to be sacred while portraying a level of danger.

The acting was fantastic with both Beecham and Whishaw offering fun and quirky performances. The film isn’t quite scary and creepy but it can make you feel uneasy. This is complemented by some uneasy humorous moments as more people become brainwashed.

The whole thing really did remind me of Little Shop of Horrors. It’s a smart look at genetic modification and what is natural and what humans should to. Besides the sci-fi side is a tale of a child growing up and his mother not being there. If you buy into this film, there is definitely something there.

Summary

A really quirky different independent film, you are either guaranteed to love or hate Little Joe. However, I felt it was smart, layered and a polished all around good watch. [Grade: B]