HARRISON'S FLOWERS

SYNOPSIS:
When Pulitzer Prize winning photo journalist Harrison (David Strathairn) goes missing, presumed dead in war torn Croatia, his wife Sarah (Andie MacDowell) refuses to believe the worst and is hell-bent on finding him. She leaves her two children cared for at home, and finds herself in the middle of horrific conflict in the Serbian war. In helping Sarah, fellow photo journalists Kyle (Adrien Brody), Stevenson (Brendan Gleeson) and Harrison’s best friend Yeager (Elias Koteas) find new perspective armed solely with camera lenses.

Review by Louise Keller:
Although Harrison’s Flowers was released theatrically elsewhere in the world, it was not released in Australia. Echoing some resonances with both Proof of Life and Charlotte Gray (made within a year of each other), this story of a determined woman’s courage to find her husband in a war zone offers winning performances and some effecting moments. The establishment of the family bond in the early part of the film is crucial to the storyline, when we meet Sarah and Harrison at work and at home. Theirs is obviously a relationship of passion. Some of the points the film wants to make are rather heavy handed in the making – such as the over-emphasis of Harrison’s greatness at the award ceremony and the scene when his editor rejects his request to quit, saying ‘Just a little longer’ feels like a token of what is to come.