HARRISON'S FLOWERS

Its amazing that they get as far as they do before the harsh reality of what they are doing catches up to them.

We've all seen the pictures of war, but don't really know who has the guts to go into situations, first-hand, to let the rest of us know what's happening. Photojournalists have been in the trenches with soldiers, and anywhere else, good or bad, that may have a story to tell through pictures. I'm not sure if these people are a brave lot or just plain crazy, but they seem to be able to get in where nobody else would willingly want to go, just to let the rest of us see, through their eyes, the toll that people pay when it comes to these types of situations.

Harrison's Flowers is a story of love, determination, bravery, and, to a certain extent, of naiveté. Harrison Lloyd (David Strathairn) has been taking pictures for Newsweek, for years and has even won the Pulitzer for his photography, but he has been away from his family so long that his son doesn't really know him at all. After talking to his editor and being promised that he would be getting an assignment stateside, he reluctantly accepts one last assignment. So he packs up and heads off to the mess of 1991 Yugoslavia. As it turns out, his assignment puts him in Vukovar right before hell breaks loose. A couple of days later, he is reported as being killed in a building collapse.

Totally grief-stricken, Sarah Lloyd (Andie MacDowell) adamantly believes that the reports of Harrison's death are wrong. Determined that her husband is alive, Sara sits for days in front of the television hoping to see or hear anything that would confirm her belief. With nothing but the image of faceless figure on television and the notion that she will be able to find him, Sarah packs up and heads off to Yugoslavia. (Ok, this is where the naiveté comes into play.) Upon her arrival in Europe, she easily rents a car, picks up a hitchhiker, and heads towards the bloodiest region of the world at that time. Its amazing that they get as far as they do before the harsh reality of what they are doing catches up to them.

From here, the realism of war-torn Yugoslavia becomes quiet well-played-out. After being rescued from a particularly brutal introduction to the country, Sarah teams up with a group of photographers who are there attempting to record the events, and maybe make a buck or two. Among the group is Kyle (Adrien Brody) and Stevenson (Brendan Gleeson) who, very reluctantly agree to help Sarah on her mission. During a night bombing raid, the threesome gets separated from the rest of the group and, near miss after near miss, they get closer and closer to Vukovar. The closer they get, the realization that Harrison may actually be dead becomes more of a possibility, but Sarah's sheer determination sways the rest of the group to forge ahead.

All in all, I liked Harrison's Flowers. I would, however, have liked to see the role of Sarah played either stronger in character or by a stronger actress. Andie MacDowell is pretty and all, and don't get me wrong, she can shed a tear on queue with the best of 'em, but I can't see here in the heroine role. Maybe I like my movie women a little tougher, especially when it comes to putting them in battle fields and making them stay alive. I guess she just seemed a little helpless… Linda Hamilton, she ain't!

I would say, for the most part, I would recommend this movie, even though there was the romantic notion of saving the one you love, against all odds. A bit mushy and sentimental for me, but the seemingly honest portrayal of what it was like in that region, at that time, made it balance out.