A mixture of genres, The Extraordinary Miss Flower pivots from documentary to music video to magic realism, although it fundamentally tells the tale of real-life musician Emilíana Torrini, an Icelandic songwriter who found a collection of letters that were addressed to an elusive woman called Geraldine Flower. This in turn inspired Torrini to produce an album. The rest of the film focuses on this dialogue between two very different women. From some of the letters, Geraldine Flower may have been a spy, and was offered drugs, an exciting prospect in the 1960s. The songwriter was captivated by the recently-deceased character given that so much of the creativity goes into commemorating this person.
Torrini, who might be best known to audiences for her performance of Gollum’s Song on The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002), recites one of the hundreds of letters Geraldine Flower left behind in a box. These notes are full of passion, drama, romance and comedy, and the singer is clearly excited by the musings. They incite her imagination, and give Torrini purpose. As it happens, the Icelandic woman released an album called Miss Flower in 2024.
Then there are imaginary sequences, in which Caroline Catz plays Miss Flower. It’s the director’s way of putting the words into context, allowing the viewer to witness Geraldine Flower’s real-life adventures. As it is a re-imagining, these interpolations are done with brighter colours, a stylised depiction of life (compared to conventional talking heads). Jumping between timelines, The Extraordinary Miss Flower attempts to show that the actions of the past can influence people in the present.
Torrini isn’t the only celebrity who enacts one of the letters. British comedian Richard Ayaode reads out a piece of writing, his eyes looking deep into the camera. Australian pianist Nick Cave pops up as another talking head. All of these people are captivated by the writings Flower received, giving a glimpse into the woman’s glamour. And then it’s up to Catz to embody the muse in a litany of fantasy scenarios.
“Meet me at the water hole,” Torrini sings, her band banging and clattering as her voice ascends; “There is a shadow in the water”. The singer gifts viewers a glimpse into her songcraft by performing some of the numbers that grew out of this artistic collaboration. The keyboardists add operatic textures to the arrangements, bringing an added dimension to the ballad. Whether it’s through music, theatre or cinema, Torrini does everything she can in order to breathe new life into Flower’s catalogue of letters.
Despite the title, the central character is clearly the Icelandic woman, and it is her that music drives the narrative. There’s a beautiful ballet sequence done to plaintive piano music. It is difficult to pigeon-hole this work, and that’s precisely the charm of the film. There’s an intellectual quality, as well as an oratorical element, to it. In one of the songs Torrini admits she “wants to be like this forever”, but as with every movie, the credits must roll, and life has to follow.
Artists are typically singular in their outlook, and this is certainly no exception. What directors Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard have delivered is more entertaining than informative. They create a world where questions are more interesting than the answers. A world were process is often more immersive than the finished product.
The Extraordinary Miss Flower is on various VoD platforms on Wednesday, July 30th.
