By Joanne Sargent
Contributor
In researching The Rose Maker, I learned that cultivators of roses are called Rosarians – I didn’t know that.
Not that it’s in the movie, just an aside.
Wrapped around a sweet story about connection, The Rose Maker will teach you far more than you likely already know about creating the ideal sought-after flower.
Filmed in France’s picturesque Roanne Hills, the movie is about single, sixty-something Eve, who struggles to maintain the Vernet Rose Farm she inherited from her father. She follows his artisanal breeding procedures, delicately cross-pollinating her plants and babying the new flowers in the hopes of creating a rose that can win competitions. Meanwhile, the nearby Lamarzelle business dominates the rose-growing contests, consumes its competitors and monopolizes the best breeding roses.
Despite her business facing imminent liquidation, Eve refuses Lamarzelle’s offer to absorb her operation.
Unbeknownst to Eve, her trusted associate Vera comes up with a short-term fix – they can afford to employ three ex-cons from a prison rehabilitation program.
So middle-aged Samir, meek Nadege and young, tough, tattooed Fred, who turns out to have a nose for the rose, arrive on the scene.
The plot unfolds with personality conflicts, life lessons, revelations and seemingly catastrophic setbacks, and then there’s the zany scheme Eve concocts to save her life’s work.
It’s fun to watch how she and her ragtag group of misfits pull together.
The Rose Maker shows at 5 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 30.
Our May documentary is The Automat, a charming, informative look at what was once the largest restaurant chain in the U.S., despite the fact it was only in two cities and was coin-operated.
It plays Wednesday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Both films play at the Salmar Classic.
Read more: VIDEO: Watch Cirque du Soleil acrobats tumble and leap on BC Place Stadium roof
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