Flutter

It's always refreshing to find a hidden gem in life. Sometimes it's something as simple as finding a $1 bill in your pants pocket before doing the laundry or a nice bottle of beer in the back of the refrigerator you had forgot was there. However finding a great movie that you didn't know existed is one of the great pleasures in life and that's how I feel about the film Flutter.

The story follows a young mother named JoLynn (played by Lindsay Pulsipher) who is raising her son who loves his pet pig, Wee Wee and fighting imaginary Sea Monsters. Johnathan (played by Johnathan Huth Jr), the son, has nystagmus, which makes his eyes "flutter." He also suffers from severe narrow angle glaucoma; an acute condition that if untreated can lead to permanent blindness. JoLynn has to battle poverty, her absence musician husband, and the threat of Johanthan being taken away by the state all while trying to do what she thinks is best for her and her son.

For this film to truly work you need a strong actress in the lead role, especially a mom who skips conventional medicine and gives her son pot brownies to battle her son's glaucoma. She also makes several decisions along the way that conventional society would frown upon. Lindsay Pulsipher is that strong actress and creates a character that is vulnerable, deeply felt, and enduring. Also her interaction with Johnathan Huth Jr is truly heartfelt and feels like they could actually be mother and son. The amazing thing is that this is Johnathan's first film role and I never would have known that without talking to Glenn Morshower while doing press for the film.

Glenn Morshower plays JoLynn's father-in-law Mark and he might be the heart of the entire film. Mark is a man who is stuck between his wife and his daughter-in-law, also while trying to do what's best for his Grandson. The scenes between Glenn and Lindsay are also a highlight to the film and showcase what both great actors they are in this film.

The great thing about independent film is that there are no rules that can be followed. There is no guarantee that the lead actor/actress will make it out of the film alive. There is no guarantee that there will be a happy ending. There are no guarantees at all and that kind of film making excites me as a viewer.

I haven't even mentioned the cast of actors in this film, which include Charles Baker (Breaking Bad), Charles Halford (True Detective), and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad). All shine in this film and make this movie worth your time. Writer/director Eric Hueber says the story line for Flutter was inspired by his own mom, who was only 19 when he was born and died in 2010. Kudos to him for bringing part of his personal life on screen and making it an amazing experience.

I watched this film, with a friend, at the Dallas International Film Festival premiere. I read the outline of the story and it seemed to be something I would like. The short of it was I didn't care for it at all.

The film itself was good the picture and sound. The music was a bit over done like a Hallmark movie. The actors were good except a couple, and I always hate to hear bad Texas accents. But all of that stuff was okay. There is some animation that doesn't seem to fit, but it is interesting to watch. There is, however, a bunch of stuff that just doesn't add up or make sense.

The part that really didn't work for me was the story, and or I guess I should say the script. After the film was over people where hoop'n and yelp'n about how deep and how it was such a love story. Just like on reviews I have read, but I see two common differences between them and me. First, they are 20-30 something men, and second they aren't in the health care profession.

I am not a movie professional, but I love movies and I am the middle American that watches them. So I guess I am an expert to some degree, at least I am an expert on what I like. The movie is irresponsible about the medical implications, and the character is just sort of stupid and does nothing to show the empowerment of woman. Of course, written by a male. And a young one at that, it comes through in the story being a yawn and a who cares.

Being a mother of 4 and a nurse (who has experience with both medical marijuana and the condition) the film is just not good. It is like it is trying to fabricate emotion, and it just doesn't get it. Like an artsy director doing a Lifetime movie. You can't fake heart. People were going on an on about unconditional love and how powerful, I saw nothing like that. I saw a stupid lazy little girl with a kid that she had no business taking care of. It must be a generational thing of if I say it enough it will be true, rather than being smart enough to actually do something.

Sorry if this seems so negative, but as a mother it really makes me sick. Unconditional love is working double shifts and getting your life together. It annoyed me so greatly I had to look at what people were saying and after reading other reviews (which seem like they are biased and probably friend of the director) I felt I should give some of the other side's view.

I really thought I would like this movie, but I didn't. The mother and son characters are very unlikable. Each had his own challenges and I kept waiting for them to start to overcome them. Lordy. Painful to watch a terrible, lazy, inept mother raise a completely thoughtless, undisciplined son. Just because you're poor doesn't have to mean you're filthy and stupid. Where was this mother's effort to earn money in a meaningful way. Or to raise a child in a happy but at least minimally structured way? Utter fail. Very little redeeming values to the characters. I thought this was supposed to be about a strong mother? Don't bother with this one. It will leave you frustrated.

In my opinion we are in an age where filmmakers and artists in general take the minimalist approach too far, leaving us to want more. This movie is not afraid to make you feel. It takes you through a span of emotion that never feels disingenuous. It lets you laugh, cry and most importantly, dream. The story is genuinely hilarious at times and completely heart wrenching at others. Perhaps my favorite aspect, was that scenes of a very real and gritty human experience are interwoven with beautiful surreal imagery that is at times even psychedelic. This is done seamlessly, just as life is when seen through the eyes of a child. Flutter entertains and let's us escape. That is after all what art was meant to do.

It kind of scares me that people think this movie is a testament to love. Letting a kid be an impulsive, destructive brat is not what being a mother is about, and it isn't love, it's just wimping out. Children need a parental figure to guide and teach them, build character and caring, not just passively observe and tolerate! He's a child, not a pet! I raised kids alone with a garden to feed us and money from odd jobs I could do while they were at school. We didn't have stuff, but we had love and respect for each other and didn't worry about them destroying the house if I wasn't looking! Life can be tough, but I didn't really need a depressing saga with unlikeable characters(besides the grandfather)to drive it home.