Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Flora Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 9, 2018

Flora isn't a classic-in-the-making but it is a breath of fresh air, figuratively for the audience but not at all for the characters in the film. The budget-minded and science-based survival film, from first-time director Sasha Louis Vukovic, pits man against nature, not a self-aware or "out to get them" nature but simply a nature that is toxic to humans in its natural state. What makes the film work, and what makes the film frightening, is the inescapability and the relentless nature of nature; no matter where the characters go or what they do to combat nature, it's there, with its own tricks, with its own density and suffocating presence to stymie the escape attempt, or worse. It's very well done, engaging despite the lack of a tangible boogeyman, and even more impressive given the obvious budget constraints that necessarily keep the film focused on the terror which is, essentially, the entire shooting environment that surrounds the characters in every single shot.

Death as far as the eye can see.

Deep in a remote area of nowhere, a group of researchers from Victorin University, each with unique skill sets, descend upon a dense forest in search of a cherished professor who has gone missing. But the missing man mystery quickly becomes the least of the team’s concerns. They realize that they are the only living things in the forest, at least beyond plant life. They are surrounded by plants, bacteria, and fungi. No men or animals or insects of any kind appear to exist in the area. The environment, they discover, is toxic to man and animal. They are isolated and with little hope of escaping before succumbing to either hunger or the toxins around them. As they struggle for answers, nature slowly begins to take a toll on the group’s numbers, leaving the researchers ever more desperate to escape the inescapable realities of a massive and dangerous environment.

Flora stretches its budget remarkably well, though the film's story requires little, if anything, of budgetary strain. There are no special effects, no complex creatures or even costumes, really, though the period props might have been the most costly aspect of the production; the film was even shot with consumer-level digital cameras. And that means a more intensive focus on the story, chiefly how the characters respond to the increasingly grim realities and the dwindling hopes for survival. The film hits many essential, character-based Horror high notes while discovering its own path through an interesting, and cinematically untapped, world and enemy: “endophytes,” pollen, not invisible enemies but more concept than boogeyman and a fresh perspective for a film of this type. No entangling tentacles, no mutated plants and trees. The enemy is as much isolation and the time period as it is the poisons that exist at every turn. The 1920 setting means no reliance on digital aids to escape or call for help or better understand what it is the characters are up against. Their situation requires book knowledge, old-fashioned number crunching, guile, and brain power to at least make a go of surviving the treacherous journey, whether that's figuring out what they're up against or determining what may or may not be safe to eat to fuel their nearly hopeless journey towards possible survival.

And from that reliance on old-fashioned brain power comes several scenes featuring engaging discussions on science and survival, with each character bringing their knowledge to the conversation which increases, however slight, the chances of self- and group-preservation. Mathematics, hard science facts, and survival techniques, the latter often going hand-in-hand with the former, dominate many of the film’s best moments as the characters attempt to use science to their benefit and nature against itself. The actors are certainly not amongst the best to ever appear in a film, but there’s a real sense of togetherness, knowledge, and fear. The cast sells the characters’ respective characteristics well, though the film doesn’t do a great job of allowing the audience to really get to know them beyond their identifying skill (hunting, medicine, art). But for the movie’s purposes that’s generally enough.

Flora Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Flora was shot with a selection of Panasonic Lumix DSLRs. The resultant 1080p image appears faithful to the source, though the source lacks the ability to present the sort of crisp, perfectly defined digital images of much larger budgeted productions. Nevertheless, core textural qualities and colors satisfy. Dense forest scenery is consistently sharp with largely effortless complexity to various leaves, even those at some further distance from the camera. Characters are adequately revealing though lacking in the intricate intimacies captured by superior technology. Attire and period objects are likewise sharp but not necessarily at the pinnacle of 1080p clarity. Colors are fairly bold, with the natural greens the highlight. More earthen colors present in the majority of support elements. Black levels aren't too far removed from balanced depth and skin tones are healthy enough. Various issues appear throughout, including dense noise in spots as well as some jagged edges and other limitations from the source, but this is a very watchable image given the inherent constraints and limitations.

Flora Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In Flora's first scene, dialogue is not entirely well prioritized. It's a little shallow as it competes with surrounding natural din. But trouble spots are otherwise relatively few for this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Rear channels carry a number of effects, whether rattling tins at a camp near film's start or a running creek in chapter eight which flows through the stage with enough natural presence to make the listener believe that he or she is standing in, or at least very near to, the water. Music spreads and transitions to a haunting, airy depth and width as the film's third act begins. Surrounds engage with prominence thereafter, capturing a sizable, chilling, dominant din that is probably the most sonically intensive moment in the film. Various era-specific musical cues play throughout the film, and they are relatively shallow and tinny but reflective of the quality of the time. Beyond that aforementioned blip on dialogue delivery, the spoken word plays clearly and without issue from the front-center channel.

Flora Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Flora contains several bonuses, including a commentary, deleted scenes, a featurette, and a trailer/teaser combo. A Mill Creek digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director/Production Designer Sasha Louis Vukovic and Actors Teresa Marie Doran and Dan Lin (who also contributed in other production elements) cover film structure, film construction, story themes and imagery, characters and performances, on-set anecdotes, and much more. This is a quality, engaging track that covers not only a great film but also the process of shooting a low budget movie.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Includes Alternate Opening (3:33) and Car Scene (2:35). With optional director commentary.
• Behind the Scenes Featurette (1080p, 6:50): The piece opens in a humorous manner and transitions to a more serious exploration of the film's better qualities: story, themes, performances, costuming, and more, featuring behind the scenes footage, film clips, and cast and crew interviews.
• Trailer (1080p, 2:00).
• Teaser (1080p, 1:27).

Flora Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Flora is a terrific picture that is character and environment focused, which masks its budgetary limitations with a story that requires little financial muscle to build and tell. The story is engaging, the actors are good enough, and the skill with minimal photographic and cinematic aids is quite impressive. Hopefully the small Flora proves a large step forward for first-time Filmmaker Sasha Louis Vukovic. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is generally good, featuring video that's limited only by the source constraints rather than the encode. Audio is fine and the included supplements are worthwhile. Highly recommended.