Many will knowthe famous quote from the Indian philosopher Oshothat has done endless rounds on Instagram feeds: “If you love a flower, don’t pick it up. Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love. So if you love a flower, let it be. Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.” While it might seem corny, especially when it appears on a school friend’s social media page, it immediately popped back into my mind while watchingIvana Gloria’sChlorophyll(Clorofillain Italian). In fact, it’s basically the thesis of the entire movie.Chlorophyllis a tender and mesmerizing exploration of one’s relationship with nature and the ability to accept change within oneself. Gloria was there to introduce the movie and she said the title revolves around the “fear of change” which is something she has had her own experience with. This personal approach comes through with every frame, whether it’s the ones where the two lead characters are in focus or when the endless, mystifying beauty of nature is front and center.
Chlorophyll
In Chlorophyll, a botanist discovers a groundbreaking method to enhance plant growth using a new form of chlorophyll. As her research progresses, she faces unexpected consequences that threaten the ecological balance and her own survival. Amid ethical dilemmas and corporate greed, she must decide whether to save humanity or let nature take its course.
What Is ‘Chlorophyll’ About?
The green-haired twenty-something Maia (Sarah Short) is disillusioned with her city life. She tries to rave it away but after unfulfilling sex and vomiting bright green liquid, she’s had enough. She abruptly announces that she will not be sitting her exams (presumably for university) andis taking a job picking oranges in the remote countryside for board and food. This is when she meets Teo (Michele Ragno), a loner by choice of a similar age to Maia who avoids human interactions at all costs. The hiring of Maia was organized without his say by his brother and father with whom he has a fractious relationship. Maia and Teo take a while to connect, with Teo resenting that he is no longer alone and Maia finding his ways of solitude odd.
They spend their days picking oranges, with Teo telling Maia that she must be gentle with the fruit and that they sometimes need to be tenderly spoken to.They begin to warm up to each other and forge a unique friendship, one consisting of both tacit and vocal understanding. Complications arise when Maia catches the attention of Teo’s more socially adjusted older brother, Arturo (Domenico De Meo). But that becomes the least of Maia’s worries. There is a reason she has green hair, vomits green bile, and has a scent Teo has never smelled before. She starts sprouting small blue flowers out of her hair. Maia’s connection to nature runs deeper than her needing to escape the noise of urban life. Through her friendship with Teo and their shared appreciation for the natural world, Maia learns to accept the parts of herself she has always hidden.
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There are two major things going on inChlorophyll. The first is a friendship/sorta-romance between Maia and Teo. They’re both lost souls who have had past traumas come to the forefront and dictate how they live their lives. The death of Teo’s mother who owned the farm has led him to believe his purpose is to live a life of solitude and maintain a broken relationship with his brother and father. Maia, since the day of her first period, has been in a constant state of confusion about her true identity. She can’t get any enjoyment from sexual encounters and must keep her naturally green hair short out of fear of people seeing her for who she really is — part woman, part flora. That may seem silly, and no,don’t expect to see aPoison Ivylookalike. One ofChlorophyll’s many strengths is how grounded its magical realism is. The reveal of Maia’s true nature isn’t hard to come to terms with because it all happens gradually and without dramatic tropes. The movie does not care about how Maia came to be this way. What’s important is her learning how to accept herself — green vomit and all.
‘Chlorophyll’ Is an Intimate Tale of Connection and Self-Acceptance
Going back to the Osho quote, the pervading message ofChlorophyllis the very same.Flowers and people are not to be possessed but appreciated in all their beauty, no matter how alien it may at first seem. While this is Maia’s journey, her relationship with Teo is at the center of it. They at first seem like they have little in common, with Maia more outspoken and confident, hailing from a big city, as opposed to Teo’s shyness and wanting to be alone forever. But Teo becomes the first person to appreciate Maia for her true self. He makes a scent out of the flowers that sprout from her hair and tenderly comforts her when she becomes overwhelmed by her state. She inspires him to be more open to human interaction. They lie side by side and tell each other things they’ve clearly never voiced before. It’s a human connection that both have longed for for so long, and it’s all from the parts of them that they always thought no one would understand.
Chlorophyll, clocking in at just 75 minutes, packs in so much intimacy in its short runtime. Director Ivana Gloria takesMarco Borromei’s script and pairs the dialogue with stupifying imagery. In almost every shot, there’s the presence of a vibrant green, whether it’s from Maia or the natural beauty of the Italian countryside. Inside or outside, plants are laced through the setting, wrapping around the actors and making it feel like the world is both endless and entirely their own. It all makes for an incredibly sensual film,similar to whatLuca Guadaginodid inCall Me By Your Namewith how the outdoors is the perfect backdrop for self-exploration and sexuality. Humans and nature are interwoven inChlorophylland Gloria makes that apparent from start to finish as Maia embraces the changes in her body.
Sarah Short and Michele Ragno Have Electric Chemistry in ‘Chlorophyll’
The movie hinges on the chemistry between Short and Ragno, and it doesn’t falter. Their sweet friendship may have an undercurrent of unrequited romance, with the classic love triangle making their relationship more dramatic. But this is where the movie most closely connects to the Osho quote. It’s not important whether the two end up together, as Maia is not meant to be possessed, but appreciated, and Teo is the first person to truly offer her that. Short is a passionate lead who tracks Maia’s road from unfulfillment to reluctance to acceptance with an open vulnerability that seeps into every moment. Ragno makes Teo a shy but never weak young man who is just as lost as Maia despite having no greenery in his hair. The two make a wonderful screen pair that adds to the movie’s sensuality and intimacy without the need for any physical romance.
Chlorophyllis the type of film you drink in. Like her Italian contemporary, Ivana Gloria takes the wild outdoors and turns it into the perfect coming-of-age setting. Dripping with sensual and vibrant natural imagery,Chlorophyllis a reminder of how connected humans and nature are, and how they both need to be appreciated but never possessed.
Chlorophyll is an intimate and sensual tale of self-acceptance and connection.
Chlorophyllhad its international premiere at the 2024 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
