Chu and Blossom (Charles Chu, 2014) USA

Reviewed by Linnea Nilsson at Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2014

First time I attended to see this movie, I stood in line for a very long time. Me and my friend was number 10 and 11 in line and assumed that we would get a seat in the theatre. But we didn’t. The other line, who had other passes, was so full that our line never had the chance to get in. This must be a good movie, I thought, since there’s so many people here. Luckily, we got another chance to see it. Chu and Blossom is directed by Charles Chu and Gavin Kelly. This is Chu’s first time as a director and he actually is the main character of this movie, known as Chu.

This movie is about Chu, a shy exchange student from Korea that comes to America. Chu is very smart and he does very well in school, but he doesn’t have any friends. One day he sits on a park bench, photographing something on the ground, when Butch Blossom (Ryan O’Nan) walks in his frame. They soon become very close friends. They are two completely different persons but they are a perfect match. Chu is this creative silent guy and Blossom is just crazy. Crazy in a good way. He helps Chu get out of his shell to explore life. Chu’s parents doesn’t like this new friendship, pushing him to end it to only focus on school. Chu has always done what his parents asks of, since he is the only child they have left after his brother’s passing. Torn between his parents wishes and his own dreams, Chu must make a decision. Will he make the right one?

This movie is a typical good-feeling-movie. It’s something that you can watch on a rainy day or when you are feeling a little bit down. I liked the editing of this movie the most. They had some flashbacks that reviled more and more the closer we got to the ending. The flashbacks are with Chu and his brother and it always had this very bright lightning. Maybe it was bright only because they wanted to show that it was a flashback. But the lightning made his brother look like an angel, and that might also be a reason for why it’s so bright, because Chu sees him like one. I also liked how they got back to places, like for example the park bench or the cliff: two happy places where Chu’s life changes. They had some advanced effects too, but they somehow felt a little bit unnecessary. Since the movie was kind of easy made, having some effects didn’t really fit in.

Overall I think this movie was good. I liked Chu and Blossom’s relationship just because of their missmatch. Their missmatch made those two a perfect match. I have always liked movies that are character driven and this movie is one of those movies. I would recommend it, but I’m not sure if I would see it again.