• Film
  • Human Flowers of Flesh ★★★★

Review

Human Flowers of Flesh ★★★★

Helena Wittmann returns to the sea in Human Flowers of Flesh - released February 2 - with a distinctive non-linear sun-kissed flow. ★★★★

The sea is a focus in Helena Wittmann’s work. Her first feature Drift is a transcendental meditation of time that follows two women on a journey to the North Sea. Drift turned heads five years ago on the festival circuit.

Human Flowers of Flesh arrives in similar fashion as we follow a yacht on the Mediterranean, ebbing in and out of various moorings. Human forms move through natural light and sounds fuse with sun-kissed imagery – punctured by crew members reciting poetry – as Wittmann brings her multifaceted career as an artist to bear on non-linear narratives. Her confidence raises the material above arthouse pretension. Claire Denis‘ colonial work is referenced, as is that of Marguerite Duras.

But Wittman remains inexplicit, allowing viewers to pause and unpack the narrative undertones as visual and sonic waves blend into the sun. ★★★★

  • Starts Feb 2 With Denis Lavant, Angeliki Papoulia, Gustavo Jahn