FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD Review – Flawed Protagonists Hunt Ghosts In Suspenseful Drama
David Gelmini
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Starring Richard Markworth, Alan Austen, John Whitaker, Emily Ayson, Simon Pritchard
Directed by Richard Markworth and John Whitaker
Having just debuted on YouTube, the gritty short film Flowers For The Dead is certainly worth your time if you’re in the mood for something decidedly gritty with two believably flawed protagonists. Richard Markworth and Alan Austen respectively star as Peter and George, two former convicts hoping to hit it big by producing a paranormal-themed video in a supposedly haunted forest. A young woman recently disappeared in the local area, and they plan to contact her spirit on camera, or at least to make it look like they have. What they don’t realise that the forest is haunted by more than the spirits of a missing woman, something they learn the hard way when they decide to meddle with things they don’t understand.
Peter is characterised as a desperate con artist who had a small degree of success as a fraudulent paranormal investigator before his conviction, while George is clearly a no-nonsense hard man who was roped into the scheme, when he would rather be breaking someone’s jaw. Markworth, who also wrote and co-directed the picture alongside John Whitaker, delivers a dedicated performance as a charlatan desperately hoping to hit the jackpot, while Austen, who previously appeared in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and Emma Dark’s award-winning short film Salient Minus Ten, was equally convincing as a guy you would not want to pick a fight with.
Although the specific nature of their convictions are never specified, both characters were still shown to be deeply flawed individuals. Peter clearly ropes other people into his schemes with false promises of wealth and success, and he accuses other people of being ‘pissheads’ while drinking alcohol from his flask in the exact same shot. He even openly admits to not caring whether the missing young woman who serves as the subject of their video is found dead or alive, as he is only concerned with making a profit. He also casually states that he lied in his supposed ‘non-fiction’ books and sadly laments at one point if someone like him would be better off in prison instead of causing trouble on the outside, and you can’t help but agree with him on this.
George, on the other hand, is the kind of person who casually mentions how the word ‘hit’ meant something different in his day when he hears people using the term to refer to internet views, so you wonder if this is someone who should ever have been released from prison. There are no likeable characters in Flowers For The Dead, as we are clearly presented with a portrait of two men who are willing to break the rules to achieve their goals. They may not be people you would want to have as your friends, but it was still refreshing to watch something with such decidedly unlikable protagonists instead of the usual perfect hero approach.
Although the story contained some fantastical elements, Flowers For The Dead was shot and edited with the look and feel of a gritty BBC crime drama, as the filmmakers were clearly going to a gritty social realist approach. The character of George and his desperation for fame and fortune also personifies our obsession with celebrity culture and how some people will do anything for their five minutes of fame, so Markworth and Whitaker clearly tapped into something which has plagued our society for decades now. And while the horror elements only really come into full force towards the end of the twenty-six minute runtime, they still made for an incredibly shocking finale. Flowers For The Dead may not contain a likeable cast of characters, but it does offer a bold and unflinching picture of how far some people will go to achieve fame and fortune. You’ll probably think twice about wanting to appear in a viral video after watching this.
Summary
Don’t expect to like either of the main characters, but prepare for a gritty and unflinching portrait of two highly flawed men willing to break the rules to achieve their goals with some more horrific moments sprinkled in, and you’ll have a good time with Flowers For The Dead.
