Vesper
{3.5/5} “It isn’t human. It won’t feel a thing.”
Vesper, released in 2022
Vesper trudges through muck to look for things that are edible to keep her and her father alive. Her father is sick, and can’t get out of bed. She sometimes trades her blood for what she needs. But when someone sabotages her generator she needs bacteria to keep the power on for her father to survive. Vesper hopes to go to the Citadel some day but her dad says that will never happen.
This is a pretty bleak future. The only hope is Vesper’s experiments with plants.
It’s about a world and people who are mostly disappointing and dangerous.
It has a unique look to it, with plants doing things they don’t normally do — like reach out to you.
Most of the movie is good but the ending is a bit confusing. She says she’s going to the Citadel, but then she goes to a different tower instead. Her last action seems more symbolic than practical. A family goes with her, so she could have talked to them and clarified things.
The young actor playing the main character does a terrific job.
Stars Raffiella Chapman, Eddie Marsan, and Rosy McEwen. Directed by Kristina Buozyte (Vanishing Waves) and Bruno Samper (writer on Vanishing Waves). The mysterious music is by Dan Levy.