Equal parts avant-garde musical and spy romance documentary, The Extraordinary Miss Flower is extraordinary in every sense of the word. The film is a performance documentary compiling the letters of Geraldine Flower and her lovers. Directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard set the letters and drama to music as each letter unfolds new layers in Miss Flower’s extravagant life. Icelandic singer-songwriter Emiliana Torrini lends her voice to Miss Flower as Miss Flower creates a dialogue between past and present in this art piece meets personal documentary.

Love letters between Miss Flower and her lovers begin as romantic correspondence. 60s sexy meets cool 90s-inspired indie from Torrini oozes throughout the art rock-esque look at a woman of mystery. But as the cast performs the letters, new wrinkles appear in the life of Miss Flower. A potential double life as a spy, voyages across the sea, love affairs, code-breaking, and drug use all follow as Miss Flower leaves a trail of excitement. The music blends with Geraldine as a person, creating a kinetic narrative, always keeping the viewer engaged up until the final frames; it’s Josephine Baker meets some 90s David Bowie, and it’s brilliant. 

Music plays a massive role in The Extraordinary Miss Flower. The use of Emiliana Torrini’s voice with the daring emotions of Miss Flower’s story adds depth to every letter. Gerladine’s life merits precisely the unconventional documentary treatment that Forsyth and Pollard present. She’s an unsung person of history, has a gripping story filled with romance and intrigue, and carries the perfect amount of “stranger than fiction” ambiance. Letters are read by familiar faces to the unconventional scene, such as Nick Cave, Richard Ayoade, and Alice Lowe (to name a few). All of these factors, thrown together through the building music, allow each story to pulse through the text, creating a Wong Kar-wai mood throughout the narrative. While some songs are stronger than others, each track conveys the characters at play and their place within the wilder world of Miss Flower.

The Extraordinary Miss Flower takes tons of influence from the stage, along with titans of film. Since the documentary is entirely performance-based and set within a studio, the story could work as well as a stage production. Music influences range from Icelandic indie music to The Cranberries, but all start within the realm of 90s alternative inspiration. Wes Anderson-esque moments of backstory on Geraldine fill the latter half of the film, adding a little extra quirk to a story brimming with experimentation. Each of these influences comes together to make a unique documentary experience, and one that more historical docs should consider.

Avant and unconventional describe The Extraordinary Miss Flower better than any words beyond “extraordinary.” The documentary injects a creative spirit into each frame, allowing the letters to flow like emotions in Miss Flower’s life. It may not be the most clear-cut way to learn about a person in history. But it’s engaging from start to close and feels organic to the person represented in the doc. The performances are incredible, the music gives gravity to each letter, and the direction is purposeful, pulling each element together to create a more authentic view of the late Miss Flower. Like Wong Kar-wai films, The Extraordinary Miss Flower is a movie you feel more than you think. The concept may seem strange, but the viewing experience is mesmerizing as two excellent directors introduce the world to a fascinating woman of history. 

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