Garden Lovers

Various couples tell us about themselves while working in their respective gardens. With a subtle comedic touch, the film gently enters these gardens in the same soft-spoken way we would listen to the most intimate secrets of a very close friend. The garden is not only a physical space: it is an ongoing project or, better, an endless projection of our past experiences and of our present visions. We are free in our garden: we can perfectly design it or let the vegetation grow wildly. It’s a space at the image of its creators, where it’s easier to be true to oneself. It’s also a restrained, protected space, where moralism has less influence and truth can be told more easily. Gardening might also become a ritual, a compensation, a state of lucid trance where to get in contact with the inner self. And, like human relationships, the garden needs to be taken care of, and it’s definitely a lot work, which can also be pretty funny. Filmed with extreme accuracy at a constant pace, the film is always magically in movement, like a gentle breeze, providing a smooth and graceful feeling of shared intimacy.

Luciano Barisone