Here is a movie that completely caught me off guard by how emotional and good it was. The best films are the ones that surprise you and make you glad that you watched it. Late Bloomers is a coming-of-age film about a twenty-eight-year-old woman, Louise played by Karen Gillan, meandering through life as an unemployed musician, hung up on her ex-boyfriend, avoiding her past, and making cringeworthy decisions that land herself in the hospital with a broken hip. Louise was unpleasantly surprised to see Antonina (Margaret Sofia Stein), the stubborn elderly Polish woman she shared a room and hostile exchanges with during her hospital stay, at physical therapy. This film is a telling of healing, aging, and finding your way through life’s unexpected curveballs.
It is refreshingly true-to-life story following a lot of similar events that transpired for screenwriter Anna Greenwood. Including needing physical therapy for a broken hip in her 20s and caretaking her mother who had early on-set dementia. with comedic scenes sprinkled throughout the movie follows the unlikely friendship of Louise and Antonina as reminds us at the end of the day, no one really has it all together even in their 2nd and 3rd act.
Although the two main characters Louise and Antonina in the film could not understand each other and spoke different languages, Late Bloomers captivates audiences with its honest comedic depiction of the struggles of being a caregiver/ needing a caregiver and communicated a lot by showing the pairs’ conversations with each other through broken Polish app translations, and all the comically non-verbal interactions that took place throughout the film.
Karen Gillan is a pro and known for her roles in the highly franchised Marvel movies. Her physicality using crutches and embodying the quirky character of Louise was a change from her action intensive roles. Her portrayal of Louise, a messy character lost in life and making cringeworthy decisions, like stalking her ex was comical and despite her flaws was a likable character that the audience will root for and cheer on as she overcomes obstacles. Supporting characters Michelle Twarowska (Antonina’s granddaughter), Jermaine Fowler (Louise’s friend/roommate), and Kevin Nealon, Talia Balsam who played Louise’s parents, were all strong additions to help move the plot and contribute to the down-to-earth character development of Louise. I enjoyed learning Anna Greenwood and Director Lisa Steen were friends in college that fought for a while to get this film made and created such a memorable indie comedy story about facing reality with humor and humility.
