Garden State [MA]

Andrew is an aspiring actor who has been numbed with some form of medication for the most part of his life. When his mother passes away, he is forced to go back to his hometown and face an inevitable confrontation with his father. But, with a twist of fate, Andrew meets Sam, a quirky and free-spirited girl who helps him to open up and take in life’s experiences. 

Written and directed by Zach Braff, whom most people will recognise from TV’s Scrubs, Garden State is a wonderful and refreshingly original little comedy that’s filled with life. 

Andrew is an aspiring actor who has been numbed with some form of medication for the most part of his life. When his mother passes away, he is forced to go back to his hometown and face an inevitable confrontation with this father, whom he has been avoiding for years. But, with a twist of fate, Andrew is introduced to Sam, a quirky and free-spirited girl who helps him to open up and take in life’s experiences. 

This is a classic, albeit quirky example of character growth. The film is very slow to begin with, with Andrew being a very distant and despondent character that cannot enjoy and adapt to his surroundings. But then as the film progresses, he grows into this completely different character that is filled with love, passion, and opinions. It’s like watching a flower bloom. It’s really lovely. 

What I particularly liked about this movie was its subtlety and the ways in which we see the character of the hero grow. All of Andrew’s personal changes manifested themselves in very subtle forms such as speaking more; openly and freely, and wearing more vibrant and casual clothes towards the end of it. The dialogue used is frank, but very relative and all the actors, Zach Braff and Natalie Portman in particular, delivered memorable performances. 

Starring Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ian Holm, Garden State is a really lovely little film that was filled with drugs, memorable characters, comedy, and romance. I really enjoyed it and would say that it is a film not to be missed.