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Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) is the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, as he is to pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). However, chaos enters Narvel’s spartan existence when Mrs Haverhill demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) as a new apprentice, unlocking dark secrets from a buried violent past that threaten them all.
The Garden Cinema View:
The final entry into a loose thematic trilogy (First Reformed, The Card Counter) that finds the old venerable filmmaker firmly rooted in his Robert Bresson mode – think the lonely, fastidious, male diarists seeking redemption in the likes of Taxi Driver, American Gigolo, and his aforementioned recent works. Schrader aficionados may know what to expect: pristine images, superbly restrained performances, and flashes of disturbing violence. Perhaps we should see Schrader’s self-refining late style as evocative of his other great influence: Yasujiro Ozu. No one does this better than Paul Schrader, and we should cherish every variation on a theme as he enters the twilight of his career.
Cast:
Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, Quintessa Swindell