Harrisons Flowers

This film is dedicated to the 48 photographers who lost their lives covering the Bosnia Serbian conflict during the years 1991-95. For me, it was quite difficult to watch the destruction of human beings and the devastation depicted in this dramatization. I found myself evaluating the artificial pyrotechnic detail as a way to distance myself from the horror represented.

The story is straightforward, a woman in search of her husband in a war zone. However I found the details in this screenplay so unrealistic that I viewed it as a background that was created just for the purpose of presenting photographers and their role in documenting a war. This in itself is a noble purpose. However, the character, Sarah, notified of her husbands death makes a series of decisions that make no sense to me and in my view, the film suffers because of this.

Sarah is played by Andie MacDowell who has had good roles in a number of first-rate films, beginning with Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) and St. Elmos Fire (1985). There are many more I wont list. I have enjoyed her work in other films and I thought that she played this part very well.

If there is any reason to see this film it is to watch the actor Adrien Brody. He plays Kyle Morris, a neer-do-well photographer that envies his peers who have won acclaim for their photography. He was the most interesting male character and he did the best acting. I have not seen him before, but he recently won best actor award for his lead role as Wladyslaw Szpilman in The Pianist (2002). Brendan Gleeson played Marc Stevenson and Elias Koteas played Yeager Pollack the other two photographers on the journey with Sarah and Kyle. I have yet to see Gleeson in Gangs of New York (2002) and I saw Koteas in The Thin Red Line (1998). David Strathairn has a minor role as Harrison Lloyd, Sarahs husband. Strathairn has had more than 60 roles since the Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980).

The film is based on a novel, Le Diable A LAvantage by Isabel Elisen. Elie Chouraqui wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Most of his previous work has been French.

Reviewed March 28, 2003