THE STORY – In an opulent villa beneath the Catalonian sun, American siblings Jack, Ed, Anna, and Robert wallow in isolation and their inherited fortune, eschewing the demands of their blind father, and seeking love and validation through each other and their latest designer clothes. When Jack, the eldest brother and linchpin of this family, announces that he is moving in with his girlfriend Martha, blood ties are severed, and Ed is forced to uncover the truth surrounding their mother’s death. Generational lies begin to unravel, and the fabric of this family slowly begins to disintegrate.
THE CAST – Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage, Elle Fanning, Tracy Letts, Pamela Anderson & Elena Anaya
THE TEAM – Karim Aïnouz (Director) & Efthimis Filippou (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 94 Minutes
Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz assembles an all-star cast for his latest English-language film, “Rosebush Pruning,” an adaptation of Marco Bellocchio’s 1965 classic “Fists in the Pocket.” Widely regarded as one of the great works of Italian cinema, Aïnouz’s decision to remake such a revered film is both brave and unusual, even in an era when remakes are increasingly common. The result is consistently bizarre and deeply disturbing, which comes as little surprise given that Yorgos Lanthimos’ frequent collaborator Efthimis Filippou penned the screenplay. There are clear shades of “Dogtooth” throughout.
Just outside Barcelona, a dysfunctional American family resides in a beautiful, luxurious villa. They wear designer clothes and appear to have an endless bank account. Of course, they do not speak a word of Spanish or Catalan. The blind patriarch (Tracy Letts) is the root of the family’s dysfunction. He is sexually abusive and thoroughly reprehensible. We are told that a pack of wolves killed his wife (Pamela Anderson), which is only a minor absurdity compared to what follows.
The children are a co-dependent mess, with heavy incestuous undertones in their interactions. Ed (Callum Turner) is charming yet clueless, and his fixation on a Greek man he once met feels unsettling from the start. Jack (Jamie Bell) is the favored son and the only sibling with a life outside the family. Everyone loves him, especially the youngest brother, Robert (Lukas Gage), who has epilepsy and whose attachment to Jack veers into incestuous obsession. The fragile family dynamic begins to crumble when Jack attempts to move in with his girlfriend, Martha (Elle Fanning), the film’s only seemingly normal character. However, it soon becomes apparent that she is drawn to Jack’s wealth and quickly becomes entangled in the chaos that follows.
“Rosebush Pruning” is overwhelming in its relentless chaos. The narrative often feels secondary to the family’s outrageous behavior, prioritizing shock value and off-kilter set pieces over story progression. While the film attempts to critique the family’s obsessive and toxic dynamics, it frequently indulges in taboo for its own sake, leaving little room for subtlety in its outrageous black comedy. That said, the dark humor does land, and several scenes are likely to linger in viewers’ minds. One particularly grotesque moment features Letts’ character brushing his teeth and applying toothpaste somewhere other than his mouth while his son stands nearby in the bathroom. It is both agonizing and perversely funny.
This is arguably Aïnouz’s most Hollywood-centric cast to date. Tracy Letts delivers a genuinely unsettling and effortlessly deranged performance. Jamie Bell, known for “Billy Elliot,” gives the most restrained performance in the ensemble, which suits his character as the family’s most empathetic member. He conveys pent-up frustration convincingly. Callum Turner excels at portraying aimlessness, though his character is more perceptive than he initially appears. Much of the plot unfolds through his stalking of Jack, and he ultimately uncovers Robert’s scheme to eliminate anyone who stands in their way. He escapes the fallout and attempts to hitchhike back to Greece. Riley Keough is compelling as ever, while Pamela Anderson once again demonstrates her acting ability in her limited screen time.
Cinematographer Hélène Louvart shoots “Rosebush Pruning” in vibrant, sun-drenched compositions that elegantly capture the family’s lavish surroundings. Louvart continues to showcase her remarkable talent, leaning into the film’s absurdity and moving away from the grounded realism she brought to works such as “Happy as Lazzaro” and “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” The visuals heighten the on-screen chaos to a mesmerizing effect. In one particularly striking sequence, shoes fly through a bright blue sky while Turner’s Ed fantasizes about penis sizes after receiving a provocative postcard from his Greek acquaintance. The film’s fixation on the ultra-wealthy indulging in taboo desires and incestuous dynamics is as strange as it is unsettling.
Like “Bugonia,” Aïnouz’s reinterpretation of “Fists in the Pocket” is likely to divide audiences and critics. Both films revisit singular, influential works, yet they possess enough stylistic flair to guide modern viewers back to the originals potentially. It is difficult to imagine universal support for a film that so deliberately crosses boundaries. For some, its extremity will be alienating; for others, its audacity will be exhilarating. “Rosebush Pruning” is undeniably well crafted, but as an absurdist comedy, it ultimately feels more provocative than profound.
