I believe what lies at the heart of any crime film is a universal coming of age tale of sorts. The criminals either learn to become better criminals or they grow a conscious as the story continues. Lotus Flower recognises this and unpacks the emotional turmoil that must come from these sorts of characters torn between the loyalties to themselves and their cause in a world that is blurred by a community that ultimately doesn’t know any better. Choosing to focus on two characters that bridge the gap between the 21st century and film noir-esque criminal workings of the 1950s and 60s gives audiences a refreshing take on the binaries of good and evil the genre is founded on. In a way it speaks to my love of films completely outside the genre like Stand by Me and Adventureland; the journey for understanding and the transition into adulthood has the room to be just as emotionally compelling as a ‘Goodfellas’ or ‘The Gentlemen’.

 

To give this project a purpose would be to craft an intimate and wholly unique connection of understanding between Tommy and Shan against a world that is constantly working against them and their kind. To characterise each of the 4 leads with a different approach towards semiotics and the relationship they share with each frame would be to piece together a rich history of anguish and destruction that provides the Hollywood-style backdrop to the contradictory self-contained narrative.