The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows the life of the titular character after she has to move in with her grandmother when her parents die in a fire. The series is streaming on Prime Video.
Story
Alice Hart lived on a farm with her pregnant mother Agnes and her abusive father Clem. WHen Agnes and Clem die in a fire, Agnes moves in with her grandmother, June Hart.
June manages a flower farm called Thornfield where she takes in women who have to escape from a bad situation and she offers them a safe haven where they can live in peace.
Alice learns more about her parents while she’s there, and when she grows older, she leaves Thornfield and has her own experiences with the world and how turbulent it can be.
Performances
Alycia Debnam-Carey is captivating as Alice, a young woman who has gone through so much in her life and hasn’t processed it all sufficiently. Debnam-Carey turns in a heartrending performance full of emotion.
Alyla Browne is similarly brilliant, if not better, as a young Alice. Despite having a predominantly silent role, Browne expresses so much emotion with just her face and her actions.
Sigourney Weaver is the most high-profile member of the cast and she doesn’t disappoint as June Hart, the cautious and controlling matriarch. Weaver lends a level of gravitas to a very profound series and plays her role beautifully.
Asher Keddie, Leah Purcell, and Frankie Addams are also incredibly wonderful in a series that requires a lot of emotional investment. The women are truly the stars of the show.
Positives
The series focuses on a serious topic and doesn’t shy away from showing how truly disturbing and difficult things can be for victims of abuse.
The different flowers and how each one has a different significance is absolutely fascinating. They are captured fabulously on screen and they add some life to a very morose series.
The cinematography, on the whole, is quite impressive. The framing of several shots, lingering on a character’s face, and letting their emotions truly seep through the screen, all enhance the quality of the series.
Negatives
Even at 7 episodes, the series is a slog to get through. There are many moments where the audience might find themselves distracted and that is not ideal.
Some situations aren’t allowed to breathe towards the latter part of the series. Alice’s relationship with Dylan rushes through and doesn’t exactly receive a suitable resolution, while Twig’s search for Alice and her moment in the desert deserved some more context.
Verdict
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart covers some difficult subject matter but it does depict a strong message for people who might be suffering abuse. From a technical standpoint, there is so much to appreciate about this series but that is only if the audience has the patience and the stomach to get through it all.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
Director: Glendyn Ivin
Date Created: 2023-08-04 00:00
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