If There Be Thorns

If There Be Thorns is a 2015 drama-thriller directed by Nancy Savoca that captivates with a narrative filled with family secrets, forbidden love, and startling revelations.

The movie features a stellar cast, including Golden-Globe-nominated Heather Graham, dynamic Australian actress Rachael Carpani, charismatic Jason Lewis from Sex and the City, and the brilliant child actor Mason Cook. Each actor brings to life a complex character intricately woven into a compellingly dark narrative that questions the foundations of love and family.

The storyline unfolds around the dramatic lives of the Dollanganger siblings, the characters introduced in the previous movies of the series based on the V.C. Andrewws novels – "Flowers in the Attic" and "Petals on the Wind." Rachael Carpani plays an older Cathy Dollanganger, who has grown into a successful ballet dancer, thriving professionally even as her personal life is entangled in controversy. Mason Cook takes on the challenging role of her son, Bart Winslow. Heather Graham masterfully plays the compellingly mysterious character of Corrine, a woman with a complex past connected to the Dollanganger siblings.

Set within an idyllic suburban milieu, the serene exterior cunningly cloaks the tumultuous depths beneath. A picturesque mansion, children playing innocently in a seemingly peaceful garden, each element of the movie safeguards a deep, chilling secret that propels the events forward. The movie’s title, ‘If There Be Thorns,’ is emblematic of this underlying tension, symbolizing the painful prick of hidden truths buried beneath a seemingly perfect surface. The unknowable darkness lurking within the walls of their home is a real and imminent threat to the characters’ happiness and safety, coiling around them like an unseen serpent.

Jason Lewis plays Chris, Cathy's fiercely loyal sibling. He’s a successful doctor, and this sibling pair's bond is an integral part of the narrative that both warms and shocks the viewer in equal measure due to its tumultuous intensity. Throughout the film, their love, courage, and resilience form the story's backbone as past secrets begin to unravel one by one.

At the heart of the narrative is Bart, Cathy’s curious and perceptive son (Mason Cook). He forms an unusual close bond with the mysterious lady living next door, who is none other than Corrine—ironically, the grandmother he never knew about. Heather Graham portrays Corrine as an enigmatic woman whose complex shades of motherhood, love, and regret come across vividly. The development of Bart's relationship with Corrine and their interaction functions as a thrilling subplot that thickens the movie's intense aura of suspense and intrigue.

'If There Be Thorns' expertly captures the suspense of hidden family skeletons, fractured relationships, and forbidden love existing in the seemingly mundane confines of suburban life. The characters come to life with high-quality acting, each bringing a distinct facet to the dynamic narrative. The movie takes viewers on a captivating journey—although cloaked in thorns—aiming to answer questions like, can love triumph in the face of haunting past secrets? Can a family ever truly bury its past, or will the thorns continue to pierce through their every attempt at normalcy?

Nancy Savoca does an exceptional job of immersing viewers in the emotional world of the characters, using a combination of subtle liberations, tense silences, and poignant glances to tell a story that is as unpredictable as it is riveting. The director, along with her capable ensemble cast, explores the complexities of the human heart, familial bonds, and love pushed to its boundaries.

Highly atmospheric, the movie is punctuated with cinematography that captures the chilling sense of foreboding and the oppressive ennui of suburban life. The picturesque set design contrasts starkly with the dark narrative thread, adding another layer to the convoluted dynamics of the Dollanganger household.

‘If There Be Thorns’ is a gripping movie experience that doesn't let its viewers off easy, erecting a mirror to the complexities of family relationships, love, loyalty, and the price one pays for secrets long kept hidden. The movie reminds us that beneath the surface of every family lie hidden thorns of secrets, threatening to pierce the facade of normalcy at every turn.