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Credited cast: | |||
Christina Ricci | ... | Sarabeth Ellis | |
Jason Gedrick | ... | Louis McIntire | |
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Gabrielle Popa | ... | Melody Ellis |
Tom Berenger | ... | Gen. McIntire | |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Brian Balzerini | ... | Private Perry |
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The Bourbon County Minstrels | ... | Themselves |
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Jordan Brun | ... | Maj. Collins |
Scott Michael Campbell | ... | Tim | |
My-Ishia Cason-Brown | ... | War Refugee | |
Cole Corey | ... | Soldier Wallace | |
Jason Echols | ... | Malcolm | |
Bren Foster | ... | John Ellis | |
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Liotta Gabriel | ... | Jeremy |
Julian Gant | ... | Lester | |
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Nesti Gee | ... | Soldier |
It is 1863, and the American Civil War is raging. With her husband, John, away fighting with the Confederacy, and their baby lost to scarlet fever, Sarah Ellis, and their precocious daughter Melody, struggle to survive on their family farm, save for Melody's extraordinary good sense and fortitude. When Melody finds a wounded Union soldier in their basement, Sarah and the soldier forge an unlikely bond, a bond that just might help Sarah and Melody find peace enough to move forward after the War.
During the second half of the Civil War, a mother (Christina Ricci) and her precocious daughter await the return of their husband/father at their farmhouse in North Carolina. Meanwhile they have to fend with a local ne'erdowell, skirmishes, a questionable Confederate patrol and a wounded Union soldier found in their basement (Jason Gedrick). Tom Berenger has a peripheral role as a Union general.
Written & directed by Serge Rodnunsky, "War Flowers" (2012) is an Indie that some have criticized as having a student film vibe with some help from (very convincing) Civil War re-enacters. It's shot kinda stagily and edited using dissolves for many cuts. Meanwhile a few shots don't match each other colorwise.
These technical criticisms are valid due to an obvious low-budget, which reportedly cost $5 million with the bulk of it spent on the impressive cast and Civil War Reenactors, BUT the film does work on the most important level, that of storytelling. My wife & I saw it separately and we both enjoyed it: The story pulls you in and maintains your interest until the end with convincing acting by the principles. It's vital that a film like this have human interest (otherwise it's a lost cause) and it scores well in this area.
The movie runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, and was shot in Michigan.
GRADE: B-/B