Flora and Son

At this point, we can just trust John Carney to deliver feel-good films about the healing power of music.

His latest, Flora and Son, doesn’t quite reach the highs of Sing Street, the underrated Begin Again, or the somewhat overrated Once, but as the eponymous, struggling, Dublin-based single mom (Eve Hewson) attempts to bond with her troubled teen Max (relative newcomer Orén Kinlan) through song, that familiar Carney magic resurfaces.

Arguably the writer/director’s funniest film also makes inspired use of modern music education by having California-based Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teach guitar via Zoom. Simple yet inventive filmmaking techniques gradually bring Jeff into the frame to show the screen-defying connection he and Flora build, and while that bond could be developed a bit more in-depth, the chemistry between Hewitt and Gordon-Levitt is palpable.

However, Flora and Son ultimately feels somewhat slight due to a final scene that’s reached roughly 10-15 minutes faster than the story suggests and needs a little more buildup for it to feel as well-earned as it could. But there’s also the distinct possibility that the world Carney has crafted is so appealing that one simply doesn’t want to leave it this soon, and the film is great as is.

Grade: B-plus. Rated R. Now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre and available to stream via Apple TV+.

(Photo: David Cleary)