PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EMBASSY OF SPAIN

The Basque language, which doesn’t sound quite like any language, is rarely heard on screen. This delicate drama, set in the Basque-speaking region of Spain, shows how one seemingly innocuous item – a gift of flowers – can touch and change many lives.

Flowers tells two intersecting stories. First, stuck in a passionless marriage, construction site receptionist Ane finds her life buoyed by an anonymous benefactor who sends flowers every week. This someone is definitely not her husband. Then, Beñat, who works at the same construction site as Ane, is killed in an auto accident. Ane discovers that her flowers stop arriving, and she begins to bring flowers to the spot where Beñat died. The appearance of fresh flowers every week mystifies and worries Beñat’s wife, Lourdes, who becomes concerned that he may have been having an affair.

The simple act of bringing or giving flowers connects the two families and highlights some of the underlying problems in their relationships, making for a quietly powerful and affecting film.