Bloom (2023)

Bloom 🪴 

#TIFF2023

Bloom follows Laurel, who has come home from a long days work to the surprise that her partner has packed up all her things and left - without a single reason why. 

She ends up isolating herself in her apartment, wondering what could’ve gone wrong, that’s until her attention shifts to her plant - and it’s odd reaction to her heartbreak. 

This is one those watches that you have to sit with for a while, and can end up interpreting in so many different ways.

Laurel and her plant develop what feels like this symbiotic relationship, as her behaviour changes so does the plants growth cycle - which could be a metaphor for our relationship with Mother Nature and how we care for our environment when it’s convenient, but not when it’s necessary. 

It also could be as simple as depicting a ghosting/breakup, and how when we’ve invested time into someone a part of ourselves leave when they do, so we become a shell of ourself until we find the strength to put the heart broken pieces back together. 

I think it’s reminding us that our problems in the moment may feel life ending but are microscopic in comparison to what the earth is enduring. 

Regardless of what it’s meant to mean, the subtleties of Jodi Balfours performance is what allows this short film to play in the darkness of despair, and then blossom through the peaks of light to a brighter day. 

If you allow yourself the time to dig into the roots of this story you’ll find an exploration of grief and how it affects everything orbiting around you. Worth keeping an eye out for at your local film festival. 

Enjoy!

7.3/10 🍿 🎥 

Runtime: 11mins

Where: Toronto International Film Festival

Bloom Short Film Review (2023) The Richmond Reviewer

#ShortFilm #Movie #MovieReview #TIFF2023 #Bloom