Five Films to Flower into Spring

Spring, it’s my favorite season. As the teal hours before dawn are my preferred time of day, I love to see the earth wake up as the sun returns and things become green again. It can also be very disorienting with the time change and the sudden warmth, not to mention being blinded by the light reflecting off of people’s exposed parts when the temperature reaches 60°F (16°C). The films that follow can be an anchor in that sense of unreality, demonstrating how real your reality actually is, or how you really really wish it could be. In any case, they’re all a welcome distraction during this trying time, which is becoming increasingly too real for me.

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Alice in Wonderland (1951)

A soft start and a return to childhood for many, the florals of Alice in Wonderland are actually groundbreaking. Catch me at any time during high bloom season, and I can guarantee that You Can Learn a Lot of Things From the Flowers will be stuck in my head. At only one hour and fifteen minutes, it’s the type of film that will quickly cheer me up. If you haven’t watched Alice in awhile, a revisit might be impressive; with all the CGI-animated sequels that seem to come out every week, I’m still amazed at the artistry and technical skill that produced these iconic, surreal images by hand. Let’s not trip into the Lewis Carroll controversy rabbit hole right now, try to remember things as they were before. 

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Legend: Director’s Cut (1985)

And now a crash landing back into my childhood. My First Ridley Scott film, I remember watching the VHS of Legend with my parents and not knowing whether to be enchanted or terrified. Originally intended to be a far darker horror film, it certainly walks the line for what was age-appropriate, even back in the eighties. Some aspects of that compromise hold up better than others; drunk, farting faeries aren’t funny and they never will be. Still, every set in the production is either covered in glitter or on fire, and now my aesthetic probably makes much more sense to my Instagram followers. While writing this list, I’m listening to the otherworldly Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Need more convincing? Pre-Scientology and full unibrow Tom Cruise back flips through the forest, unicorns make whale sounds, and Tim Curry plays Darkness. That’s right, Darkness. 

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Stoker (2013)

Another in my personal series of films that are difficult to recommend, the plot of Stoker can be best described as yikes! If you love familial strife coupled with possible incest and definite murder, look no further. Directed by Chan-wook Park of Oldboy (2003) and The Handmaiden (2016) fame, Stoker is an early triumph in Mia Wasikowska’s career and a masterful performance of near Mommie Dearest (1981) levels delivered by Nicole Kidman. Despite all his merino v-necks and a frankly sexy convertible, you should not be attracted to perennial heartthrob Matthew Goode in this film. And, like almost every film in my seasonal lists, the killer production design will bury you. Featured soundtrack listing: Becomes the Color by Emily Wells. 

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Barry Lyndon (1975)

It’s difficult to not include Marie Antoinette (2006) in this list, however as I expect that the Attic readership already views that film at least annually, one doesn’t wish to be redundant. For those who have three more hours to spare in complete thrall of eighteenth century splendor, Barry Lyndon is a meditative change of pace. Many of the shots were composed to emulate paintings from the era, particularly those of Thomas Gainsborough (1727 — 1788). Under Stanley Kubrick’s legendarily exacting direction with custom-built technological innovations, created specifically to accommodate candle-lit sets within authentic historic buildings, this film is a landmark of the medium that bisects the period drama genre; there is certainly a ‘before’ and ‘after’ Barry Lyndon. 

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Gosford Park (2001) / Atonement (2007)

These two films share the same spot on this list only because my two moods are usually “scathing dialogue” or “ugly crying.” Gosford Park boasts an unimaginable ensemble cast, representing what seems to be at least one-fourth of British acting talent at that time. The expert delivery of Julian Fellowes’s script is supported by perfect costuming and set design, propped on the velvet cushion of being filmed exclusively in stately homes. Atonement travels farther afield, but I’ll never get over the family home and garden in the beginning sequence. The main character’s bedroom design has influenced almost every space I’ve inhabited, and I’m still looking for the right domed barn owl to put on a mantelpiece. Both evoke a nostalgia for a place and time I’ll never visit, with gutting performances by young Saoirse Ronan, James McAvoy, and Keira Knightley that frankly make me want to pitch forward into a fountain and stay there.

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Zoë G. Burnett is a writer, menswear stylist, and film enthusiast based in Boston, Massachusetts. A born and raised New England Yankee, she feels equally at home in the 7th arrondissement. She is currently editing her first novel. She is a Contributing Editor for The Attic on Eighth, as well as its Film Columnist.