Feels like a made-for-TV movie with subpar writing and acting
Imagine my surprise when out of the blue this movie showed up this weekend at my local art-house theatre here in Cincinnati without any pre-release fanfare or advertizing. I didn't know much about the movie, but the premise sounded possibly intruiging and the cast gave me some confidence too.
"War Flowers" (2013 release; 100 min.) brings the story of Sarabeth (played by Christina Ricci) and her young daughter Melody somewhere in the South during the Civil War. As the movie opens, we get thrown right away in the thick of a major battle between North and South. After that, we see Sarabeth and Melody anxiously awaiting news from Sarabeth's husband, who is fighting for the Confederate Army. When finally a letter arrives, it is from Sarabeth's brother, informing her that he has not seen or heard anything about her husband. Meanwhile, we also get to know Louis McIntire (played by Jason Gedrick), an officer in the Union Army, and his dad Gen. McIntire (played by Tom Berenger)...
Emotional
I really enjoyed this movie. Christina Ricci & Jason Gedrick worked well together. Always liked both of them. The child actor in this movie was amazing as well and so adorable. The story line was solid & characters well developed. All in all a great movie, though very sad at times. The ending really shocked me. Don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet, so I won't elaborate. Glad I purchased it. I know I'll watch it again in the future.
Lots of Potential, A Tad Stagey, but Good Actors
A bit strange and melodramatic, it feels like a Hallmark made for TV movie but harsher; yet, I found it watchable and waited to see the outcome of it's characters.
Christina Ricci plays a war weary Southern woman who along with her wise, ever hopeful 7 year old daughter(amazingly well acted by Gabrielle Popa), wait for the uncertain return of their soldier husband and father from the Civil War. The war is nearing it's end; A Union captain(Gedrick) is wounded and nursed back to life by Ricci's character while his father(Berenger), a general, searches for him.
The war rages around the young woman's home as she struggles to survive against thieves, a near rapist, skirmishes on her front lawn, starvation and the growing fear that her husband's not returning. She runs out of options and would most likely give up except for the persistent spirit of her daughter.
The staged battle scenes are set-ups to show the horrors that inflict on the common folk stuck...
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